Red
by KTGates
Summary: Maybe things would have been different with a third member riding in that Impala. Maybe things would have been better. But probably not. Dean/OC
1. Prologue

If the Impala was the most important object in the universe then that red headed girl in the backseat was the most important woman. That woman was Robin Browning.

The boys had known Robin since Sam could count. She was a foster child who moved in with their neighbors when she was four. Sam was also four and Dean was eight. At the time they were still living in the house in Lawrence though it was tough for their dad to be there. Instead he was usually gone leaving the boys with a baby sitter or sending them next door where they would play with Robin.

During the summer the boys would leave with their dad for long road trips where they spent most of their time in cheap motels. When school started back they would return home to an excited Robin happy to see her two best friends.

At four years old Sam had difficulty with the name Robin. He either couldn't pronounce it or forgot it completely. It was from his four year old mind that the moniker "Red" was coined. And it's stuck ever since.

The boys remained next door neighbors to Red all the way through Sam and Red's middle school years before their dad finally sold the empty house. That's when Sam and Dean started changing school's frequently. They still kept in touch with Robin, however.

Robin knew all about the hunting and the story about their mother. Sam couldn't keep these secrets from his best friend and Dean had a soft spot for the little girl with bouncy red curls. Red never cared about any of this though. She was just always excited to hear the new stories the boys had to tell when they returned home from a hunt.

When Red was fifteen they finally allowed her to join them on a hunt. They assured her foster parents that it was a skiing vacation and she hoped in the back of the Impala next to Sam and they took off with John behind the wheel.

They made a stop by a man's house named Bobby to teach her a few things and after gun training and getting caught up to speed on the lore they were off to the house where she would help hunt her first ghost.

Over the next few years she continued to help them on the local hunts and became a pretty good hunter. She considered John a father figure and referred to Bobby as her uncle. The first real family she had ever had.

It wasn't until Red was seventeen that this family became more permanent. And not in the way she had hoped.

_Sitting in my room studying for finals wasn't my favorite way to spend a Saturday but what else could I do? My list of friends wasn't overly abundant and Sam and Dean were on a hunt in Nevada. No where near Lawrence, Kansas. _

_My little brother was in the next room over with his friends playing video games and making entirely too much noise. My parents were out for the night like they always were on the weekends._

_Of course these people weren't technically family. I was a foster kid and so was the boy in the room next to me. We had both been taken in by Mister and Mrs. Walker. I know nothing about my real family except my birth certificate says "Browning" right after "Robin Ariel."_

_My eyes drifted from the American Literature book up to the cork board above my desk. I smiled at the picture of us sitting on the front porch steps of Bobby's house. It was taken after I'd gotten a Polaroid camera for Christmas and Bobby was nice enough to snap the picture. I sat between Sam and Dean. Sam's smile stretched across his face and his arm wrapped around my shoulders pulling me into his side. My eyes were closed laughing at something Dean had said seconds before the shot was taken. Dean sat serious next to us, deadpanned after his joke._

_It had only been taken a year before and yet those boys were so different the last time I saw them. Sam had grown even taller and Dean was even better looking. I would get a phone call or an email from them whenever they'd go on a new hunt. If they were working something close they would come pick me up or ask me to meet them at Bobby's. I would bring a stack of movies and we'd stay up late watching Godzilla or Star Wars before the hunt began. _

_My mind was snapped back to the present when I heard the front door slam open. My mom was screaming for me to get some towels and I jumped up and ran down stairs leaving my homework behind. _

_At the bottom of the stairs in the living room my mom helped my dad onto the couch. His pants leg had been torn and blood was flowing from a cut on his thigh._

_"Towel's Robin! Now!" she snapped._

_I turned to the bathroom and grabbed up the first aid and some towels. I brought them to my parents to find my mom begging my dad to let her take him to the hospital._

_"I'm fine. It won't need stitches. There isn't a point in going."_

_"He could have some kind of disease."_

_"Who?" I asked. "What happened?"_

_"Some crazy man came up to us in an ally. He was growling and he bit your dad on the leg. I called the police but he ran off and Frank insisted we come home instead of waiting for the cops."_

_"Someone bit you?" I asked watching mom clean the wound. It didn't look deep but it was definitely a bite. _

_"I'm fine. Just wrap it up. I'll call into work Monday and stay off it for a while."_

_I stood staring at the bite and knew my parents knew nothing about the dangers this could hold. That could've been any kind of monster that bit him. But dad was right. A hospital couldn't do anything for him. But I couldn't either. Instead all I could do was watch and hope I was wrong._

_The next morning I woke up and went down for some breakfast and found my dad sitting at the table with what looked like the contents of the refrigerator in front of him. _

_"Dad? Are you okay?" I asked looking at the empty containers._

_"Yeah. I've just been so hungry."_

_"Have you slept at all."_

_"No not really. I got up at about 3 and went for a jog."_

_"Are you feeling okay? You think you have a fever from that bite?"_

_"No. No fever. I'm fine." _

_I eyed him suspiciously. He was twitching and I could see a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. _

_"You sure? Let me check just to be sure," I reached my hand out to feel his forehead but he smacked my hand away with such force it sprained my wrist. I yelped and pulled my arm to my chest. My head shot up towards him and he stood causing the chair to fall behind him and started pacing. _

_"I'm fine, Robin!" _

_"Yeah. Okay," I said and slowly backed towards the stairs. When I was out of sight I ran to my room. My injured hand fumbled with the phone but dialed the memorized numbers quickly. _

_"This is John Winchester. If you know about this number you know I'm busy. Leave a message."_

_"John, please call me back asap. It's Robin. I think Frank's been bit by something. I think it's a werewolf."_

_"This is Sam. Leave a message."_

_"Damn it Winchesters! Pick up your damn phones! I'm in deep shit here and need some help!"_

_"Hello?"_

_"Dean! Oh thank god. Where are you guys?"_

_"Red? We're still in Nevada. Why? What's wrong?"_

_"It's Frank. I think he's been bit by a werewolf."_

_"Wait what? What makes you say that?"_

_"He came home last night with a bite on his leg and now he's acting weird. Fever, eating everything, I think he sprained my wrist."_

_"He hurt you?"_

_"That's not important right now. What's important is the full moon tonight. I need help."_

_"I'm getting dad and Sam. I'll call you back in less than an hour, okay? Where are you?"_

_"My room."_

_"Stay there. Lock your door. You have your gun?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Good." With that he disconnected._

_I locked my door and grabbed my gun and phone and sat facing the door waiting. My mom and little brother had left to return his friends to their homes but they'd be back soon and I didn't know what to do to keep them safe. I couldn't exactly tell them to lock themselves away because my dad was dangerous. _

_I picked up the phone and dialed my moms number thinking of anything._

_"Robin? I'm on my way home now. Is everything okay with Frank?"_

_"Actually I'm out of shampoo and dad says he needs somethings stronger than ibuprofen. Would you mind running by the store?"_

_"I guess."_

_"Thanks. See ya soon."_

_I hung the phone up so I wouldn't miss Dean's call. I watched the clock and the closer it ticked towards an hour the more nervous I got. Finally the phone rang._

_"We're on our way," Dean said and I could hear the engine of the Impala rumbling in the background._

_"How long?"_

_"It's gonna be about eighteen hours."_

_"Damn it. That'll be too late."_

_"I know. Robin if he is a werewolf there isn't a way to cure him."_

_"I know."_

_"Can you do it?"_

_"I don't know."_

_"If you don't he could hurt someone."_

_"I know, but, Dean, what am I gonna tell Ann?"_

_"Stall as long as you can. We'll be there soon."_

_"Tell John to drive faster."_

_"Load the silver bullets, Red. Keep him away from everyone. And don't get hurt."_

_"Yessir," I said rolling my eyes. I hung the phone up and heard the front door close. I jumped up and ran out of my room and down the stairs. My mom was in the kitchen speaking to my dad while he paced. Braxton, my foster brother, walked past me towards his room._

_"Honey? I brought you some medicine. You should stay off that leg," my mom said reaching for him._

_"Mom!" I yelled stopping her. She paused and turned towards me. "How about you, me, and Braxton see a movie tonight. Leave dad alone. I don't think he's feeling well."_

_"I'm fine," dad mumbled._

_"I don't think I should leave him alone. How about you just take Braxton?"_

_"No. Come with us. It'll be fun. Dad just needs rest."_

_"Robin, maybe next weekend."_

_"Mom, please. I need to get out of this house. I've been studying for finals for days and I haven't gotten to spend time with you in a while."_

_"What are you going on about? Since when do you like bonding time?"_

_"Better take me up on the offer while I feel like it then."_

_"Well, alright. Just not a late movie."_

_"Great. I'll tell Braxton. You better get ready. Leave dad alone to rest."_

_That night we left for the movie and no one had upset dad enough to get hurt. I had my gun in my purse and my wrist wrapped under my jacket. My mom and Braxton were safe but I didn't know what to do about the rest of the town. I hadn't heard from Dean again but I had to hope they were close. _

_The movie ended and I kept a close eye on my phone but no call yet. I willed the phone to ring the entire drive home. Praying one of them would call and tell me they were here. But nothing. Instead we reached the house and I could see through the windows it was already bad. The full moon illuminated the front of the house and I could see the curtains pulled and ripped. _

_"Good heavens! Frank!" mom yelled running towards the house._

_"Mom get back," I yelled grabbing the gun from my purse and running ahead of her to the door._

_"Robin Ariel! Where did you get that?"_

_I didn't answer her and instead swung the door open where I could hear the growling and shuffling coming from the back of the house._

_"Dad!" I yelled._

_"Frank?" mom yelled as her and Braxton entered the house. The shuffling stopped for a moment._

_"Mom get Braxton out of here!" _

_But it was too late. The sound of thumping footfalls sounded towards us and I was knocked into a wall. My gun skidded across the floor and I could hear my mom and Braxton screaming. _

_My vision stopped swimming and I jumped to my feet in time to see Frank rip out Braxton's throat as he tried to protect our mom who was already bleeding from a gruesome injury to her torso. _

_"No!" I yelled getting Frank's attention. My eyes flashed to the gun back to the werewolf that separated me from it. My legs jerked into action carrying me towards the bathroom in the back of the house. I slammed the door shut behind me in time for Frank to hurtle his body against it. I jerked forwards and braced my feet against the opposite wall and reached up locking the door. But that wouldn't last long. _

_I fumbled for the phone in my pocket and looked up at the window above the shower calculating if I could squeeze through it. I'd have to make myself because now there was a hole forming in the door above my head and there would be a werewolf in this bathroom soon whether I was or not. I picked up the medal tooth brush holder and stood in the tub breaking the window out. I looked back at the door and saw the hole was nearly big enough for him to fit through. Ignoring the jagged glass shards left in the window I squeezed through and landed on the ground outside with a thud. I heard the werewolf fall onto the bathroom floor and took off towards the front of the house hoping to make it to my gun before he did. _

_I ran around the house pressing the speed dial to Sam and held the phone to my ear as I ran through the front door. _

_"We're nearly there," I heard Sam say calmly but I didn't have a chance to answer because the phone was knocked from my hand and I hit the ground on my back. I reached behind me and grabbed an umbrella from beside the door holding it in front of me with both hands on each end keeping the jaws of the beast from taking a chunk from me. I tried to find the gun around me but it must have been yet again knocked away. _

_"Damn it," I said through gritted teeth. "I'm not dying like this."_

_I gave a strong shove with the umbrella knocking him back a few extra inches and shoved the end of the umbrella into his chest. This of course did nothing but earn me a few more seconds and a extremely pissed off werewolf. I made a quick calculation deciding I couldn't make it to the gun but I could reach a knife on the kitchen counter instead. I grabbed it and swung around cutting across his chest but the beast backhanded me sending me into the kitchen table. _

_I slumped to the ground but held the knife tightly in my already injured hand. I held the knife above me weakly as he pounced towards me but a shot rang out knocking him to the ground before he could reach me. _

_My arm fell dropping the knife and I looked up at my saviors in the doorway. John and Dean ran towards the werewolf to make sure it was dead while Sam ran towards me._

_"Red! We gotta get you to a hospital."_

_"No hospitals," I said knowing how hard this would be to explain._

_"We'll take her to Bobby's," John said walking back over to the bodies of Braxton and Ann to make sure they were dead. _

_"I told you not to get hurt," Dean said helping me up._

_"Shut up," I said avoiding the bodies in the foyer. _

_I was loaded into the back of the Impala with Sam trying his best to clean my wounds. I fought for consciousness all the way to South Dakota where Bobby lived. _

_"What about the bodies?" I asked._

_"We'll call in anonymously and report the bodies. It'll probably be assumed you were taken by the killers or killed and missing. We'll have to keep an eye out to make sure," John said._

_"Right."_

_"You okay?" Sam asked. _

_"What about me?" I asked. "I'm a foster kid. I have no family to go live with."_

_"You've got us," Dean said sternly._

_"I'll talk to Bobby. He may have some ideas," John said._

_When we got to Bobby's house I was all but carried in by Dean to the couch in the living room where I had sat and watched so many movies with the boys. _

_"Balls. She's worse than I thought," Bobby said when he saw me._

_"Can you patch her up?" Sam asked._

_"I'll see what I can do. Were you bit?"_

_"No. We checked," John said._

_"Good. John will you get me a bowl with some water. Dean I'll need some clean towels."_

_"Yes sir," Dean said running to the linen closet upstairs. _

_"Damn, Red. Looks like you rolled through a pile of nails."_

_"Crawled through a broken window. Oh, and I got beat up by a werwolf."_

_"That'll do it."_

That's how Robin came to be adopted by Bobby Singer. Not officially of course. Officially Robin Browning was dead. Or presumed dead after her entire family was found killed by what looked like a mad butcher.

The Winchester's returned to Lawrence to kill the werewolf that had attacked her foster dad and to collect some of Robin's things. Included in these things was the Polaroid camera Sam picked up and the picture from her cork board.

She finished school in South Dakota under the name Robin Singer and as soon as she graduated she was in the backseat of the Impala slaying ghosts with the boys.


	2. Woman in White

Four years. Four years I've been doing this. Working next to the Winchesters hunting all things supernatural. Of course now it's mostly me and Dean.

Sam left two years ago for Stanford. The brothers hardly ever talk to each other now but Dean worries about Sam constantly. I keep up with Sam and let Dean know he's okay.

John is still around and hunts with us on occasion but a few years ago he gave Dean the Impala and got a truck and now he hunts on his own mostly sending me and Dean our own hunts to do.

Honestly I prefer having John around. Dealing with Dean alone is exhausting. He likes to rush into things without the proper research and he's horrible at talking to people. I usually shove him to the back to look intimidating while I get information out of people.

Every so often if we pass through South Dakota I'll have Dean drop me off for a few weeks at Bobby's for a vacation. After Sam went off to college I considered it but never found a good time to leave the job for that long of a time. Besides, I'm not sure Dean could function without both me and Sam.

"Red, come listen to this," Dean said from the small table in the motel room we were staying in.

"Why can't you bring it here?"

"Stop being a brat and come here. It's from dad."

I stood from the my spot leaning against the headboard of one of the bed where I was looking through a local newspaper.

"He left you a message?"

"Yeah. Say's something bad is gonna happen," he said before playing me the message.

"We're all in danger? What does that mean?"

"No clue."

"Well call and ask him."

"I've been trying he won't answer."

"You check for EVP?" I asked taking a seat across from him.

"Was just about to."

"Halloween is in two days," I said flipping through the newspaper again.

"So?"

"So, nothing. Just an observation."

"You want me to drop you at Bobby's for the weekend? Buy a slutty Catwoman costume and knock on people's doors for candy?" Dean said grinning. I curled up the paper and hit him across the arm with it.

"Shut up. I was an adorable Catwoman."

"Yeah. Adorable wasn't the word used to describe you that night."

"Thanks dipshit. What were you again? Right! Dean Winchester. Biggest ass in Kansas."

"I don't dress up. Seems stupid once you see the real thing."

"You've met Selena Kyle?"

"Got it," Dean said turning the volume up on his computer so I could hear the EVP.

"Something about home?" I asked straining to hear the faint words.

"I can never go home," Dean clarified.

"Get in line sister. He's in Jericho right? Looking into those people missing from their cars."

"Yeah. I dunno what it means. We'll try calling him again later. Let's get some food."

Three days later we still hadn't been able to reach John. We were both worried though neither chose to show it. John would do this sometimes. He would go a few days without answering his phone and he was hard to find at times. But never had he left such an odd message right before vanishing.

"Maybe we should head to Jericho," I suggested after we finished a hunt in New Orleans.

"Yeah, I think we should. We can stop by Stanford on the way there."

"Your point? You gonna stop to visit Sammy?"

"I think he should know," Dean said loading his bags into the trunk followed by mine.

"You're just gonna pop in, 'Hey Sam! Haven't seen you in two years but I wanted to let you know dad's missing. Well see ya! I'm off to look for him."

"I'm gonna ask him to come along."

"Well that's a dumb idea. He's in college. He got out. He doesn't want to get back in this mess."

"Sure he does. Doesn't know what he's missing."

"Doesn't he though?" I said as we got in the Impala.

"Just trust me on this."

"He's going to shoot us."

"No way. Stop worrying so much and come on."

"Dean, why can't you just call?" I hissed as he worked on picking the front door lock.

"We've faced ghost, werewolves, some things I can barely wrap my head around and you're scared to break into Sammy's apartment?"

"Because I'm smart enough to realize he's the most dangerous of all those things," I mumbled and the door swung open allowing Dean to waltz in casually.

I followed behind him more warily. I paused in the front room to look at the pictures on a table while Dean continued on further into the apartment. I smiled at the picture of Sam and his girlfriend Jessica. I had only spoken to Sam a handful of times but I knew she meant a lot to him.

My hand flew to my gun when I heard a thud and struggling in the next room over and ran in in time to see Dean throw someone on the ground.

"Whoa! Easy tiger," Dean drawled out smoothly holding Sam pinned to the ground

"Dean?" Sam gasped slightly out of breath. Dean let out a laugh. "You scared the crap out of me."

"That's cause you're out of practice," Dean said before Sam knocked him over and pinned him to the ground in his place. "Or not. Get off me."

Sam helped Dean up then looked around the room expectantly before his eyes landed on me. He nodded at me then turned back to his brother.

"Dean what the hell are you doing here?"

"I was looking for a beer," Dean said grabbing hold of Sam's shoulders and giving him a sturdy shake. Sam looked at me with an eyebrow raised.

"Don't even start. I can't do anything with him."

"Sam?" a voice said from the hallway and the light turned on above us. We turned and saw a blonde standing in the doorway. Jessica.

"Jess. Hey," Sam said slowly trying to find the best way to handle the situation. "Dean this is my girlfriend Jessica."

A smirk spread across Dean's face as he took in the woman in short shorts and a cropped off tank top.

"Wait your brother Dean?" Jessica asked.

"I love the Smurfs," Dean said gesturing to the cartoons across the front of Jessica's shirt. "You know, you are completely out of my brother's league." Sam sighed and tilted his head towards me as if he was asking me to spray him with a hose. I shrugged showing I was out of this.

"Just let me put something on," Jess said obviously immune to Dean's 'charm.' I smiled liking her already.

"No, no. I wouldn't dream of it," Dean said backing towards me and Sam. "Anyway, I gotta borrow your boyfriend here to talk about some private family business. But uh, nice meeting you."

Jessica's eyes shot over to me leaning against a cabinet next to Sam.

"Hi. Robin. Adopted family," I said with a wave. Jess gave a small wave back.

"No," Sam said moving to stand next to Jess. "No, whatever you wanna say you can say it in front of her."

"Okay," Dean said with a shrug. "Uh, dad hasn't been home in a few days." I watched Sam and obviously he wasn't seeing the bigger picture here.

"So he's working overtime on a miller time shift. He'll stumble back in sooner or later." Dean nodded and looked over his shoulder at me before looking back at Sam.

"Dad's on a hunting trip," Dean started over, "and he hasn't been home in a few days."

Realization hit Sam and he asked Jess to give them a minute. I followed her out of the room giving the two boys some much needed time to kill each other without taking me out in the crossfire.

"Robin?" Jess asked once we were away from the boys.

"Yeah."

"I recognize you. Sam has this picture of you three he keeps. You're a lot younger in it though."

"Yeah. That was taken a lifetime ago," I said knowing exactly what picture she was referring to. I had given Sam the polaroid of me, him, and Dean before he left for Stanford.

"He always refers to you as his sister when people see the picture. But you're not are you?"

"No. I lived next to Sam and Dean when we were little. After things didn't work out with my foster parents they kind of took me in."

"So are you in the family business?"

"Yeah."

"Mechanic?"

"Uh. I do most of the paper work," I said realizing she didn't know as much as she thought she did about Sam. "Don't really get my hands too greasy."

"So tell me about them before he left. I know it was hard on their dad after their mom died."

"Yeah. I didn't know John before. I mean I was like 3 months old when it happened. But he had to stay busy to stay sane. So he wasn't around as much as he should have been and Sam and Dean grew up fast. Actually I feel like Dean taught us more than John did."

"I think Sam grew up okay," Jess said.

"Yeah he did. He's a good guy, Jess. The best. And if you're half as good as he describes you then you are too."

"I hope so."

"Get a bag packed then, Sammy," I heard Dean say as they reentered the apartment. "We gotta get going.

"Excuse me," Jess said following Sam into their bedroom.

"So he's coming?" I asked Dean.

"Yeah. Told you."

"Just like old times."

"Just like old times," Dean repeated throwing an arm over my shoulder and handed me a beer from Sam's fridge. I sat it on the table behind me unopened while Dean drank his.

I was demoted to the backseat now that Sam was back in the gang. I didn't mind too much. I stretched my legs out across the bench seat and read a novel I snagged at Sam's. The boys were quiet for a while and if they spoke it was about the case John had been working. Sam asked me how I'd been doing and I told him everything was great babysitting his dumbass older brother.

Dean mumbled profanities at us as he pulled into a gas station to fill up the Impala and get snacks.

"You always gotta choose the nastiest looking places," I huffed as I crawled out of the car to stretch my legs and look for a bathroom.

"All you do is complain," Dean sighed removing the nozzle from the pump.

"Grab me a beef stick," I said to Dean who was headed inside to get breakfast.

"I got you a beef stick," he said with a wink.

"I'll kill you Winchester."

I made it back to the car before Dean did and Sam was shuffling through a box of cassettes looking for music.

"Hey want breakfast?" Dean asked Sam tossing me a drink and some food.

"No thanks," Sam answered. "So how'd you pay for that stuff? You and dad still running credit card scams?"

"Yeah, well, hunting ain't exactly a pro ball career," Dean said replacing the nozzle and walking around the car. "Besides, all we do is apply. It's not our fault they send us the cards."

"Yeah? And what names did you write on the application this time?"

"Uh, Bert Aframian and his son Hector. Scored two cards out of the deal. Little miss law abiding back there won't use one."

"Sounds about right. Red will forever be the sensible one." I grinned at Dean through the rearview and he rolled his eyes. "I swear man, you got to update your cassette-tape collection."

I sat in the middle of the backseat and watched the interaction between the two brothers while gnawing on some beef jerky. I couldn't help the smile that pulled at my lips. It was slowly becoming normal again.

"Why?" Dean asked looking down at the box in Sam's lap.

"Well, for one, they're cassette tapes. And two, Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Metallica?" Dean grabbed a cassette from Sam's hand protectively. "It's the greatest hits of mullet rock."

"Well, house rules, Sammy, driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cake hole," Dean said smiling at his brother before putting the car into drive and turning up the radio.

"You know 'Sammy' is a chubby twelve year old. It's just 'Sam.'"

"Sorry, I can't hear you. The music's too loud," Dean said loudly over the music.

When we were closer to Jericho Sam started to call the hospitals and morgues looking for anyone matching John's description. No one.

"That's something, I guess," Sam said once he'd hung up his phone.

"Ooh look," I said excitedly pointing between them at the flashing lights ahead of us.

"Check it out," Dean said pulling the car over.

"Think it's related to what John was looking into?" I asked.

"Only one way to find out," Dean said and leaned over Sam to open the glove compartment. He pulled the box holding the fake ID's out and handed Sam one out of it. I didn't use a fake ID when working the job unless I had to. Most of the time I was just an 'intern.'

"Let's go," Dean said sliding from the car. Sam let out a sigh and looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Better get your game face on Marshal." I winked and opened my door to follow Dean.

"It's almost too clean," I heard one of the cops who was searching the car say as we approached. I pulled out a mini notepad and pen from my back pocket to take notes.

"So this kid Troy, he's dating your daughter isn't he?" the deputy said to the cop.

I added that to my notes. _'Vic Troy bangin cops daughter' _

"How's Amy doing?"

_'Amy'_ I added.

"She's been putting up missing posters downtown," the cop answered.

"You fella's had another one like this just last month, didn't you?" Dean asked getting their attention.

"And who are you?" the deputy asked.

"Federal Marshals," Dean said holding up his fake badge. Sam held his up and the deputies eyes landed on me.

"Intern," I answered with my notepad raised.

"You two are a little young for marshals, aren't you?" he asked. Dean let out a short laugh.

"Thanks, that's awfully kind of you," Dean answered smoothly. "You did have another one just like this, correct?"

"Yeah, that's right, about a mile up the road. There's been others before that."

"So the victim, you knew him?" Sam asked.

"A town like this, everybody knows everybody," the deputy answered and I added that to my notes.

"Any connection between the victims?" Dean asked circling the car. "Besides that they're all men?"

"No. Not so far as we can tell."

"So what's the theory?" Sam asked walking to stand by Dean.

"Honestly, we don't know," the deputy answered. "Serial murderer, kidnapping ring."

"Well, that is exactly the kind of crack police work I'd expect out of you guys," Dean answered and I glared at him shaking my head from behind the deputy. This guy was already suspicious of us. But Dean shut up once it looked like Sam must've kicked him.

"Sir," I said getting the deputy's attention away from the boys, "So this happened last night? And the car was found this morning?"

"That's right. You mind if I see those notes you've taken there ma'am?" he asked pointing to my notepad. I looked down at the shorthand that included too many vulgar words and doodles to show anyone.

"Good one, sir. If I've learned anything during this internship it's that you've got to sign to see anything," I said with my most innocent face.

"Thank you for your time," Sam said leading me and Dean back towards the Impala. Dean smacked Sam across the back of the head as soon as we were out of earshot. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Why did you have to step on my foot?"

"Why do you have to talk to police like that?"

"Come on!" Dean said stopping Sam and me at the end of the bridge. "They don't really know what's going on. We're all alone on this. I mean if we're gonna find dad, we've gotta get to the bottom of this thing ourselves."

I looked up from my notes when Sam cleared his throat and saw three men standing behind Dean. FBI.

"Can I help you three?" the most important looking one said.

"No, sir. We were just leaving," Dean said and started back towards the car.

"Where do we start?" Sam asked.

"The deputy was saying that cop's daughter was seeing the missing guy. Her name's Amy and she's apparently downtown hanging up missing posters."

"Let's head downtown," Dean said and pulled onto the road.

"How are we gonna know who she is?" Sam asked as we drove through main street.

"Well, Watson, I imagine she'll be holding a stack of paper's and looking sad," I said scanning the people.

"Bet that's her," Dean said a block later and parked the car.

"Are you Amy?" I asked as we approached the girl.

"Yeah?" she answered.

"Troy told us about you, we're his uncles. I'm Dean. This is Sammy and Sam's wife, Robin." I held back the urge to roll my eyes and smiled instead.

"He never mentioned you to me," Amy said turning from a wall where she'd just posted some posters. When he back was turned I tore off one stuffing it into my bag.

"Well, that's Troy, I guess," Dean said following her. "We're not around much. We're up in Modesto."

"So we're looking for him, too, and we're kind of asking around," Sam asked cutting to the chase.

"Hey, are you okay?" a girl asked coming up to Amy.

"Yeah," Amy answered.

"Do you mind if we ask you a couple of questions?" Sam asked them. They nodded and we walked into a diner to talk.

"When's the last time you heard from him?" Sam asked.

"I was on the phone with Troy. He was driving home. He said he would call me right back, and he never did," Amy explained.

"He didn't say anything strange or out of the ordinary?"

"No, nothing I can remember."

"Here's the deal, ladies," Dean started, "the way Troy disappeared, something's not right. So if you've heard anything…" The girls looked at each other as if decided whether or not to mention something.

"What?" I asked.

"Well, it's just, I mean, with all these guys going missing, people talk," Amy's friend said.

"What do they talk about?" both Sam and Dean said together from either side of me. The girls looked between them but I hardly noticed.

"It's kind of this local legend," the friend said. I pulled my notebook out bumping both Sam and Dean with my elbows from my squished spot. "This one girl, she got murdered out on centennial like decades ago. Well, supposedly, she's still out there. She hitchhikes, and whoever picks her up, well, they disappear forever."

"And you don't know a name?" I asked.

"No sorry. It's just a legend."

"Right. Well, thank for the talk. I hope Troy shows up soon," Dean said standing. Me and Sam followed waving to the girls.

We arrived at the library and the boys sat at a computer. I handed Sam the notebook and pulled a chair up behind them. Dean searched for a woman who had been murdered on the highway with a variety of keywords but each time there were no results.

"Let me try," Sam asked reaching for the keyboard.

"I got it," Dean said smacking his hand away. Sam pushed Dean's chair away and took his spot in front of the computer. "Dude, you're such a control freak." Dean hit Sam on the arm as he typed in the search bar.

"So angry spirits are born out of violent death, right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Dean agreed.

"Maybe it's not murder," Sam said erasing 'murder' from the search bar and typing 'suicide' instead. A result popped up and I patted Sam on the shoulder and grinned at Dean. "This was 1981. Constance Welch, 24 years old, jumps off Sylvania Bridge, drowns in the river."

"Does it say why she did it?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. An hour before they found her she calls 911. Her two little kids are in the bathtub. She leaves them alone for a minute,"

"And when she comes back they're dead," I guessed and Sam nodded.

"'Our babies were gone, and Constance just couldn't bear it,' said husband, Jospeh Welch," Sam read.

"That bridge look familiar to you?" Dean asked looking at the picture on the screen. It was the bridge where Troy had disappeared.

We waiting until night and headed back towards the bridge outside of town. Troy's car had been removed and now we were the only one's on it. Sam and Dean walked to the edge of the bridge and looked over where Constance jumped. I sat on the hood of the car wrapped in my coat deciding it was too cold to investigate. I watched them look around the bridge for a bit before they stood towards each other talking. Suddenly Dean grabbed Sam by the lapels of his jacket and shoved him into one of the beams of the bridge holding him there.

"Guys!" I yelled jumping to my feet and starting towards them. "Cut it out."

Dean said one last thing to Sam before he let him go and backed up. I stopped my advancing and paused about halfway between them and the car though I still couldn't hear their conversation. They turned and both stopped looking at something at the side of the bridge. I moved my gaze and saw a woman in a white dress standing on the railing. She jumped and Sam and Dean both ran to where she had fallen from.

I started to jog towards them when I heard the Impala start up. I turned and saw the lights cut on.

"Red?" I heard Dean ask.

"Not me," I yelled back.

I slowly started towards the car reaching for my knife. The tires squealed as it lunged towards me. I jumped out of the way and onto the railing as it sped past towards Sam and Dean. I watched helplessly as they ran from the car and jumped over the railing. Sam caught himself on the other side holding on while Dean fell into the water below.

"Sam! Dean!" I yelled running towards them and the now dead car. I helped Sam up onto the bridge and we both looked down into the water for Dean.

"Dean!" Sam yelled. We heard a muffled reply from the bank below. My eyes scanned the area where it came from and spotted Dean laying in the rocks covered in mud. "Hey, are you alright?"

Dean gave us a thumbs up. "I'm super." Me and Sam looked at each other and laughed. I jogged down to help Dean while Sam looked over the car and caught his breath.

"You look horrible," I laughed when Dean walked towards me covered in a layer of muck.

"Shut the hell up before I throw you in the mud."

"No thanks."

"Might be kinda hot actually," Dean said with a grin. I flipped him off and started walking back to Sam.

Dean lifted the hood of the Impala just to look everything over and see what could have happened.

"Everything look alright?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, whatever she did to it, it seems all right now. That Constance chick, what a bitch!"

"Well, she doesn't want us digging around, that's for sure. So where's the trail go from here?" Sam asked and Dean threw his hands up causing the smell from him to waft over to me and Sam. Sam sniffed and scrunched his nose. "You smell like a toilet."

"Let's get a room," Dean said heading towards the drivers side. Sam and I followed getting into the car.

By the time we got back to town it was morning. I was beyond tired and the smell of Dean was starting to make me sick. Finally we pulled up at a motel. Dean opened his door to get out but I stopped him.

"Maybe we should get it. You just sit in the car," I said.

"I'm not sitting in the damn car," Dean said getting out anyway.

"Whatever."

I followed the boys into the office where Dean slapped his card onto the desk and asked for a room. The old man picked it up and looked Dean up and down. Dean just gave him a sarcastic smile.

"You guys having a reunion or something?" the man asked.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"That other guy, Bert Aframain. He came in and bought out a room for the whole month."

"Oh, Uncle Bert is already here? What room is he in?" I asked.

"Room 10."

Instead of going to our room we stopped by the room John had checked into. We knocked but there was no answer so Sam bent down to pick the lock.

"Guess this mean you're sharing a bed with me again," Dean said with a grin. While we traveled with John I shared a bed with Dean. I grinned at him.

"Sam you mind if I bunk with you?" I asked.

"Sure thing," Sam said and the door swung open. Dean's grin slipped and I turned to follow Sam into the room.

We both paused in the doorway and looked around at the walls covered in notes and pictures. The rest of the room was a mess like John had left expecting to come back. His suitcase and belongings still sitting next to the bed. Sam turned and pulled Dean into the room.

Dean huffed but paused as he took in the room. He flipped on a light and we began looking around. There was salt around the bed and in front of the door.

"I don't think he's been here for a couple days at least," Dean said.

"Salt, cat's eye shells. He was worried, trying to keep something from coming in," Sam said kneeling next to the salt line. Dean was busy looking at the notes on the wall. "What do you got here?"

"Centennial highway victims. I don't get it. I mean, different men, different jobs, age, ethnicities."

I sat on the bed heavily eyeing the dirty coffee pot. Sam walked over to another wall of notes.

"There's always a connection, right? What do these guys have in common?"

"Maybe it was personality thing. Maybe they were all assholes," I said burying my head in my hands.

"Just go to sleep, Red. You're no help when you're bitchy," Dean huffed out.

"Maybe she's right. Dad figured it out," Sam said.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked. I raised my head up and looked towards Sam.

"He found the same article we did. Constance Welch. She's a woman in white."

"You sly dogs," Dean said winking at me. I rolled my eyes and returned my head to my hands. "All right so if we're dealing with a woman in white dad would have found the corpse and destroyed it."

"She might have another weakness," Sam said.

"No, dad would want to make sure. He'd dig her up. Does it say where she's buried?"

"No not that I can tell. If I were dad, though, I'd go ask her husband, if he's still alive."

"All right, why don't you see if you can find an address? I'm gonna get cleaned up."

"I'm gonna take a nap," I said falling back onto the bed.

"Hey, Dean, what I said earlier about mom and dad," Sam started. "I'm sorry."

"No chick-flick moments."

"All right, jerk."

"Bitch." I couldn't help but smile at the common exchange. I fell asleep right after the shower cut on but woke back up when Dean stepped out of the bathroom.

"You're so loud," I said sitting up.

"You want something?" Dean asked.

"What?"

"Food?"

"Yes. Something good," I replied.

"Yes ma'am," he said and left, slipping on John's leather jacket. Sam was checking messages on his phone and I rubbed my eyes yawning.

"What?" I heard Sam say. I looked over to see he was on the phone. He stood suddenly and gestured for me to put my shoes on. "What about you?" I jerked my boots on and walked over to the window looking for Dean who was undoubtedly on the phone. I saw him being approached by the deputy from yesterday. One of the men turned and started towards our room.

"They're coming," I said to Sam. "Let's get out of here." I led Sam to the bathroom where I knew a window was over the toilet. I climbed through and he came through right after me as the front door of the room opened. We closed the window behind us and took off.

"We gotta find dad."

"Then we gotta find Contance's husband."

"I've got his address. Let's pay him a visit."

We pulled up to the dilapidated house with a rusted tin roof and rotted wood sides. Sam exited the Impala and I followed letting my eyes scan the area. We walked up to the door and Sam knocked. A moment later a man opened the door.

"Hi. Uh, are you Joseph Welch?" Sam asked the short skinny man.

"Yeah?"

"You mind if we ask you a few questions?"

"You with that man with the paper?"

"This man?" Sam asked pulling out a picture of him, Dean, and John taken many years ago.

"Yeah, he was older, but that's him. He came by three or four days ago, said he was a reporter," Mr. Welch said walked across his yard while Sam and I followed.

"That's right. We're working on a story together."

"Well I don't know what the hell kind of story you're working on. The questions he asked me…"

"About your late wife, Constance," Sam finished.

"He asked me where she was buried."

"Common information to have in an article. So people can pay their respects if they wish," I added.

"Uh huh," Joseph said eyeing me like he'd just noticed me.

"Where is she buried again?" Sam asked.

"What I got to go through this twice?"

"It's fact checking, if you don't mind."

"In a plot behind my old place over on Breckenridge." I scribbled this in my notebook.

"Why did you move?"

"I'm not gonna live in the house, my children died."

"Mr. Welch, did you ever marry again?"

"No way. Constance, she was the love of my life, prettiest woman I ever known."

"So you had a happy marriage?" Mr. Welch paused a moment too long on this and his facial expression change the slightest but Sam and I noticed.

"Definitely," he said.

"Well, that should do it. Thanks for your time." Sam and I walked to the Impala and I had opened the door and began to get in when Sam's voice stopped me.

"Mr. Welch, you ever hear of a woman in white?"

"A what?" Mr. Welch asked turning back towards us.

"A woman in white or sometimes a weeping woman. It's a ghost story. Well, it's more of a phenomenon, really." Sam started walking back towards Mr. Welch and I straightened out of the car. "They're spirits. They've been sighted for hundreds of years, dozens of places in Hawaii and Mexico. Lately in Arizona, Indiana. All these are different women, you understand. But all share the same story." Sam was now standing in front of Mr. Welch who looked fearful of my 6 foot 4 best friend.

"Boy, I don't care much for nonsense." Mr. Welch turned to walk away but Sam stopped him again.

"You see, when they were alive, their husbands were unfaithful to them, and these women, basically suffering from temporary insanity, murdered their children. Then, once they realized what they had done, they took their own lives. So now their spirits are curse, walking back roads, waterways, and if they find an unfaithful man, they kill him, and that man is never seen again."

"You think," Mr. Welch's lip trembled as he spoke, "you think that has something to do with Constance, you smartass?"

"You tell me," Sam said gently.

"I mean maybe- maybe I made some mistakes, but no matter what I did, Constance never would have killed her own children. Now, you get the hell out of here, and you don't come back."

Mr. Welch turned and left to go back to his home and Sam joined me in the car.

"Guess we were right. Bastard."

"I don't understand some men," Sam grumbled.

"We could use Dean as bait. He's pretty unfaithful," I said.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked pulling onto the road.

"Huh?" I asked knowing Sam knew about Dean's woman-for-every-town.

"Did he hurt you?"

"What? No. There's nothing going on between me and Dean so don't even start that shit."

"Whatever. Hopefully we won't need bait. Just burn the bones."

"Drop me off by the station. I'll see what I can do about breaking him out. You check out the house."

"Alright. Call me when you get him out. I'll call if I find anything."

I got out of the car by the station and Sam drove off leaving me to find a way to break his brother free. My eyes fell on a phone booth.

"Too easy," I said and walked in.

"911. What's your emergency?"

"Yes! Hello! Oh you gotta send someone out here. I'm on Whiteford road. Someone's shooting. I think they might've hit someone."

"Help will be there shortly ma'am. What is your name?"

"My name is- oh god no! Help me!" I hung up the phone and left the booth grinning.

I waited until I saw the deputy and sheriff leave the building then waited another two minutes and Dean came strolling out the side door. He spotted me leaned against the telephone booth and smiled.

"Should've known. My guardian angel," Dean said and picked me up off the ground in a hug.

"Turns out we were right about the woman in white," I said once I'd been sat back on the ground. "Mr. Welch is a cheater. Sammy is headed towards the house where's she's buried so we better catch up."

"Great. But I've got bigger news," Dean said holding his hand out. "Can I see your phone?"

He dialed Sam and I waited impatiently to hear his news.

"Sammy… yeah, Red told me… shut up for a second… Dad isn't here. He left Jericho." My eyebrows raised and I gave Dean a questioning look. "I've got his journal… yeah, well he did this time… same old ex-marine crap when he wants to let us know where he's going." I knew that meant coordinates. "I'm not sure yet…. Sam! Sam! Damn it." Dean hung the phone up and stuffed it in his pocket grabbing me by the upper arm and dragging me towards a close car.

"She's got him," Dean said breaking out the glass and popping the door open. I jumped into the passenger seat and Dean had the car hot-wired in no time. We flew to the old house where Constance killed her children.

We were at the drive when the car sputtered. The lights flickered and the car died. I looked at Dean who was looking at the dash with his hands raised.

"It's her," I said.

"Come on," Dean said jumping from the car. "Give me your gun." I pulled my gun from my waistband and handed it to him and ran behind him towards the house.

I could see the taillights of the Impala up ahead and hear Sam screaming within it. Dean ran to the drivers side and raised the gun and shot through the window. He continued to shoot since the bullets did nothing to the ghost but scare her away for a few seconds.

Finally I heard the engine start and dirt flew as the Impala drove into the house taking down the front wall. My eyes were wide as I ran towards the wreckage.

"Sam!" Dean yelled with his gun raised. I pulled my iron knife from my boot and held it at the ready.

"Here!" We heard Sam say from inside the car. Dean climbed over the shattered wood towards the car where his brother was.

"You okay?"

"I think."

"Can you move?" Dean asked yanking the passenger side door open.

"Yeah, help me," Sam said and Dean helped pull him from the car. I watched Sam emerge safely and turned and saw Constance standing in the room holding a picture.

"Guys," I said causing them to look up.

Unfortunately Constance also looked up. She threw the picture to the ground and sent a heavy dresser towards Sam and Dean pinning them to the car. I chunked my knife towards her but she disappeared before it met her and reappeared next to me slamming me into a wall. I slumped to the floor dizzy. I could see the lights flickering in the house and heard Dean calling my name before I blacked out.

Dean's POV

Constance disappeared into the ground with her murdered children and the force holding the dresser to me and Sam disappeared. We pushed it away and I immediately ran to Robin passed out on the floor.

"Is she okay?" Sam asked.

"I think so," I said running my hand across the back of her head. I felt the warm wet sign of blood there. "She's busted her head."

"We should get her to the hospital."

"No can do. I'll patch her up. She'll be fine." Sam started to protest but stopped. I'd patched Red up plenty of time's and she'd done the same for me. Sam had been a part of this life once and had to go through the same things. He knew hospitals were out of the question unless absolutely necessary. I lifted her from the ground and Sam helped me put her in the back seat of the Impala.

Once Robin was situated we turned back to the puddle where Constance had disappeared.

We were back on the road. The Impala was fine except for some scratches and a busted headlight. Robin was still unconscious in the back seat and Sam sat beside me looking through dad's journal.

"Okay, here's where dad went," Sam said finding the coordinates. "It's called Blackbottle Ridge, Colorado."

"Sounds charming. How far?" I asked.

"About 600 miles."

"If we shag ass, we can make it by morning."

"Dean, um-"

"You're not going," I said disappointed.

"The interview's in like 10 hours. I got to be there." I gritted my teeth and shook my head. I couldn't believe Sam was really wanting to live such a normal life.

"Yeah. Yeah, whatever," I said not knowing what else to say without sounding completely disappointed. I let out a laugh. "I'll take you home."

"Then you need to take Red to Bobby's. We should've already patched her up."

"She's fine."

"Dean, you're going to get her killed."

"I'm fine," I heard Red mumble from the backseat. I smiled turning to look at her laying across the backseat wincing.

"That's my girl." I looked over at Sam who was looking at me curiously and like he knew something he shouldn't. My smile faltered. "Get some sleep you two."

Robin's POV

We arrived back at Stanford and Sam grabbed his bag and got out of the Impala. I stumbled out of the backseat and Sam caught me. I turned the catch into a hug and kissed him on the cheek goodbye.

"I better see you again soon, Sammy," I said.

"You will. But you better get that head looked at soon."

"Yessir," I said and gave him a salute getting into the passenger seat. Sam closed the door for me and bent down to talk to Dean.

"Call me if you find him," Dean nodded but didn't say anything. "Maybe I can meet up with you later, huh?"

"Yeah, all right," Dean said but it was too quick and cheerful to be sincere. Sam patted my door and turned to leave. "Sam!" Sam stopped and turned back towards us. "You know we made a hell of a team back there."

"Yeah."

"Come on Red. Let's look at that wound," Dean said putting the Impala in drive.

Now that we didn't have to worry about getting Sam home on time Dean pulled into a spot across from Sam's apartment and cut the engine.

"Turn." I did as I was told and turned sideways in the seat so I was facing the building Sam had just disappeared into. Dean cut a flashlight on and I could feel his fingers prodding at the tender and split scalp. I winced but didn't verbally complain. "I don't think you need stitches. It's not deep. But your hair is disgusting."

"Fuck off, dipshit," I said feeling my eyes getting heavy at his massaging.

"You get so feisty when you're hurt. It'd be adorable if you weren't such a brat."

"Dean am I really messed up right now or does that look like fire?" I said pulling away from him to look at the windows of Sam's and Jess's apartment.

"Son of a bitch," I heard Dean say before he jumped out of the car. "Stay here!"

I obeyed since I didn't have much choice anyway. My balance was bad and I was still dizzy sitting down. I watched desperate to do something as Dean kicked in the front door of the apartment and ran in. I called 911 and reported the fire. My hands were clenched in tight fist as I waiting for them to emerge. Flames were licking up the side of the building from the window of the room where the fire started.

I had the door of the Impala open and was bracing myself into a standing position determined to run in after them when they finally rushed through the front door. I breathed a sigh of relief. They rushed over to me. And then I realized Jess wasn't with them.

They landed against the side of the Impala next to me with a thud both out of breath from running and the lack of oxygen in the apartment. Sam was looking down at the ground like he might be in shock. I looked across him at Dean who shook his head at me letting me know Jess didn't make it.

"Sam let's sit down," I said steadying myself against the car and leading him around to the hood. He sat down next to me while Dean stood to the side watching helpless.

"I couldn't save her," Sam said quietly.

"Come here," I said pulling Sam to me. He bundled me up in his arms and held me against him but didn't cry. He just sat. I didn't say anything else. Dean walked off once the fire department arrived to see what he could find out.

"I'm going with you and Dean," Sam said pulling away. I tilted my head at him. "I couldn't save her. But I can hunt down the thing that did it to her."

It was then I put the pieces together in my jumbled mind. The same thing that killed their mother killed Jess. It was done the same way. The fire.

Sam stood and walked around to the trunk. I turned from my spot on the hood to watch him pop it open. I watched Dean walk up to stand next to him.

"We got work to do," I heard Sam say before he closed the trunk.


	3. Home

Several weeks later we were in a motel in Oklahoma after a rough hunt involving lots of bugs. It had been my first hunt back with the boys after taking a few weeks off at Bobby's so Sam and Dean could bond. I left after a hunt for a Wendigo. Of course I told them Bobby needed me to look into some stuff at home. But now I was back with them.

The trail to find John had gone cold. Now we were traveling and doing any cases we could find while searching for John where we could.

My head was healed by now. Sam refused to let me sleep for a few days after because he said I had a concussion. I griped in the backseat of the Impala the entire time much to Dean's dismay.

I lay in bed next to Sam with his knees digging into my back on the tiny bed. Every night I considered sharing a bed with Dean instead who wasn't as tall and didn't move as much in his sleep. But my pride kept me shoved to the edge of the bed with Sam instead.

It wasn't a big deal bunking with the boys. I'd known them forever and seen more of them than I had cared and vise versa. I always shared a bed with Dean before John left but the year and a half of having my own bed was wonderful. Now I was stuck with gigantor and his boney knee's.

I was eyeing the carpeted floor when Sam jerked up ripping the sheets from me. I turned to see him sitting up and gasping.

"Sam?"

"I'm fine. Just a weird dream," Sam said and laid back down.

"You gonna be able to sleep?"

"Yeah. Don't worry. Go to sleep."

I rolled over and finally went to sleep after Sam calmed down but he was too still all night to have gone back to sleep for long.

The next morning I was woken by Dean who threw a pair of socks at my face 'accidentally'. I looked up and saw that Sam was up too and both were mostly dressed and probably waiting on me. I groaned and rolled out of the bed grabbing my bag and went for a shower.

"Where to?" I asked when I emerged from the steamy bathroom with wet hair.

"Home," Dean said emotionless.

"Come on. I just left Bobby's," I said throwing my things into my bag.

"Lawrence," Dean clarified. I stopped suddenly and looked between him and Sam.

"What?"

"I've been having these weird dreams and I think something bad is going to happen. I don't really know how to explain it," Sam said.

"Lovely. Let's go home then."

The trip was mostly quiet. Dean didn't approve of the idea to go to Lawrence but Sam seemed worried. I mostly sat in the back seat and read a book.

Finally, we pulled into Lawrence and down the street where we once lived. Dean stopped the Impala across the street from their old home. I could see the house where I lived for so many years next to it with the signs of a new family living in it. Unaware of what happened in the foyer and just next door.

"You gonna be alright man?" Sam asked Dean after he cut the engine.

"Let me get back to you on that."

We got out of the car and walked up to the house. Sam knocked on the door and a few moments later a blonde woman answered. Dean started to tell her a bullshit story about how we were federal agents or reporters but Sam interrupted telling her the truth.

"I'm Sam Winchester and this is my brother Dean and friend Robin. Uh, we use to live here. You know we were just driving by and were wondering if we could come see the old place."

"Yeah, it's so funny. You know I think I found some of your photo's the other night."

"You did?" Dean asked. She smiled and stepped back inviting us in. I smiled at her as I passed entering the house I use to know so well.

We followed her into the kitchen where a little girl sat at the table drawing and a smaller boy stood bouncing in his play pen chanting 'juice'. Everything about the house was different from what I remembered. It had been modernized and also lacked the homey feel that Mary had left behind when she died. There were also less guns in the closets and no salt on every window sill.

"That's Ritchie," the woman, who was named Jenny, said referring to her son. She opened the child lock on the refrigerator and grabbed a sippy cup of juice. "He's kind of a juice junkie. But hey, at least he won't get scurvy."

Jenny moved to the table where the girl sat while Sam, Dean, and I stood almost awkwardly in the kitchen with this woman and her family.

"Sari, this is Sam and Dean. They use to live here," Jenny said.

"Hi," Sari replied. Dean gave an awkward wave and Sam said hello sweetly.

"So, you just moved in?" Dean asked.

"Uh, yeah, from Wichita."

"You got family here?"

"No, I just, uh…" Jenny paused making it clear it was complicated, "um, needed a fresh start. So, new town, new job. I mean, as soon as I find one. New house."

"So how you liking it so far?" Sam asked.

"Well, uh, all due respect to your childhood home, I mean, I'm sure you have lot's of happy memories here," Dean stiffed slightly next to me but smiled regardless. "but this place has its issues."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked as we all wondered if it was ghost activity.

"Well, it's just getting old, like, the wiring, you know? We've got flickering lights almost hourly."

"Oh, that's too bad. What else?" Dean asked clearly thinking something was up with the old house.

"Um, sink's backed up. There's rats in the basement." Jenny stopped when she saw the look on Dean's face. It was killing him just to be back here. But now to know something was going on here had him ridged and tense too. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to complain."

"No," Dean said getting his game face back on. "Have you seen the rats or just heard the scratching?"

"Just the scratching actually."

"Mom?" Sari spoke up and whispered to her mom. "Ask them if it was here when they lived here."

"What, Sari?" Sam asked.

"The thing in my closet."

"Oh, no, baby," Jenny reassured Sari, "there was nothing in their closets. Right?"

"Right, no. No of course not," Sam said.

"She had a nightmare the other night."

"I wasn't dreaming," Sari argued. "It came into my bedroom and it was on fire."

Both boys stiffened this time. I thanked Jenny for inviting us in and led the boys out. Dean's fists were balled and white at the knuckles.

"You hear that? A figure on fire," Sam said as we walked towards the car.

"And Jenny was the woman from your dreams?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. You hear what she was talking about? Scratching, flickering lights? Both signs of a malevolent spirit."

"Yeah, well, I'm just freaked out your weirdo visions are coming true," Dean said.

"Agreed, Professor X," I mumbled.

"Forget about that. The thing in the house, do you think it's the thing that killed mom and Jessica?"

"I don't know," Dean said raising his voice slightly as we reached the car.

"Well, I mean, has it come back or has it been there the whole time?" Sam pushed.

"Maybe it's something else entirely, Sam. We don't know yet," Dean said as the brothers started to get into an argument. I'd learned over the years to sit back and let it happen unless it was major. It was easier to deal with the aftermath than to get involved during the thick of it.

"Those people are in danger. We have to get them out of that house."

"We will."

"No, I mean now."

"And how you gonna do that, huh? You got a story she's going to believe?"

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

"We'll figure it out. Get in the car," Dean said opening the door and getting in.

We stopped at a gas station on the way to a motel and I sat in the car and listened while Dean told Sam what he remembered from the night it all started. It wasn't much since Dean was only four at the time but he did remember carrying Sam out of the house.

I slipped out of the backseat while they spoke and went to the bathroom around the side of the building. They weren't the cleanest but it might be a while before we finally made it to the motel. After washing my hands I stepped out of the tiny room and nearly ran into Dean who looked surprised to see me. His eyes were red and he was holding his phone.

"Dean?" I asked worried. What could I have missed?

"Let's go," he said turning. But I stopped him grabbing his arm.

"You okay?" he nodded. "I know it sucks, Dean. Being here. But maybe we can finally find this thing."

"Yeah. We need to get going. The sooner we're gone the better."

We rode around Lawrence asking the people who knew John and Mary what they knew about that night. It seemed the deeper we dug into the case the harder it was on the boys. Dean in particular since he could remember Mary and the night she died.

Speaking with an old co-worker of John's led us to Missouri Mosley. A psychic that John had been to visit after the fire a few times.

She was a no-play kind of woman and was good at what she did. The real deal, not one of those fakes with a glass ball. She knew exactly who we were before any sort of introductions and spoke to us like we'd known her our whole lives. She knew about the accident with Jessica and that John was missing.

She doted on Sam and usually only spoke to Dean in a sharp, scolding manner. Whenever she spoke to me it was always like we were old friends and she knew a secret that only the two of us knew. Though I had no idea what that could've been.

She couldn't tell us where John was. She said she could read people's minds and sense energies. She said John had taken her to their house after the accident to see if she could figure out what it was but she didn't know anything except that it was evil.

"So now you think something else is in the house?" Missouri asked.

"We think so," Sam answered.

"I don't understand. I've been keeping an eye on that house. No sudden deaths or freak accidents. If this thing has returned why now?"

"I don't know. But with dad gone missing and Jessica dying and now this house, all this at once, it just feels like something starting."

Missouri volunteered to go to the house and have a look around so we loaded into the Impala and drove to our old street.

"So tell me, Robin, what's it like being a girl hunter?" Missouri asked. "I've only known a few."

"You wanting to get in the business?" I asked smiling at her.

"Oh, I just want to make sure these two are treating you like they should. You all might have grown up together but she is still a lady and should be treated like one," Missouri said leaning up in her seat to speak this loudly into Dean's ear as he drove.

"We treat Robin like a princess. She's a spoiled brat. Get's the first shower, we don't watch porn around her," Dean said defending himself. I raised my eyebrow at the last one. "Not much," he mumbled.

"You are such a gentleman, Dean," Missouri said sarcastically.

"Guys, we're almost there. No arguing," Sam said interrupting.

Jenny opened the door and seemed like she was in the middle of something. She started to close the door after she told us it wasn't a good time and Dean started to stop her but Missouri slapped him across the back of the head.

"Give the poor girl a break. Can't you see she's upset. Forgive this boy. He means well, he's just not the sharpest tool in the shed. But hear me out."

"About what?" Jenny asked.

"About this house."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think you know what I'm talking about. You think there's something in this house. Something that wants to hurt your family. Am I mistaken?"

"Who are you?" Jenny said confused and suspicious.

"We're people who can help. Who can stop this thing. But you're going to have to trust us just a little."

Jenny finally agreed and let us into the house. Missouri led us through the rooms while she did her thing. Finally we ended up in a room up stairs where she said a dark energy was. I stood in the doorway and looked down the hall and then back to the room. If I remembered correctly it was Sam's nursery. It had been closed off while they lived in the house.

"I don't know if you boys should be disappointed or relieved but this ain't the thing that took your mom," Missouri said after making fun of Dean for using a EMF reader.

"How do you know?" Sam asked.

"It isn't the same energy I felt the last time I was here. It's something different."

"What is it?" Dean asked as Missouri opened up the closet doors.

"Not it. Them," she corrected. "There's more than one spirit in this place."

"What are they doing here?"

"There here because of what happened to your family," Missouri said walking up to the boys. "You see all those years ago, real evil came to your family. That kind of evil leaves wounds. And sometimes wounds get infected."

Missouri explained that the house was a magnet for paranormal activity and it had attracted a poltergeist. Missouri said she couldn't figure out the second spirit in the house but she instructed us on how to get them out of the house for good.

We sat around the kitchen table while Dean and I fixed bags of ingredients Missouri had. We were to place them in the walls on each floor of the house to purify the home. She also explained things might get rough if the spirits found out what we were doing.

"So we need to get Jenny and the kids out," I said tying up another bag Dean handed me.

"I'll see what I can do," Sam said leaving the dinning room.

I heard Missouri give out a cheerful hum and looked up to see her smiling and looking between me and Dean with her hands clasped under her chin.

"What?" I asked setting another bag aside.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing I need to tell you," she said still smiling. Dean glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and gave me a look that meant he though she was nuts. "Dean Winchester I will knock you out of that chair."

Once Jenny and the kids had gone out for a movie we started. Sam had the upstairs, Dean the ground floor, and Missouri was in the basement. I got stuck climbing a ladder into the attic. Luckily there was no dry wall so I'd just have to shove the bags between the studs but the ceiling was low and there were boxes everywhere from Jenny's move.

I turned my flashlight towards my first wall and knelt pulling a bag from my pocket. I placed it securely against the wall and moved to the next one. I had three out of four done and was maneuvering around boxes to get to the last one when I was thrown to the ground by a stack of falling boxes.

I gasped as the boxes crushed me. They had to be filled with books and the piles continued to fall over burying me. I gripped the last bag and struggled to free my arms to get myself free. Finally I squirmed free and dove tucking the last bag into place. The boxes stopped and I ran to the ladder climbing down onto the floor.

I heard a commotion coming from the room that had been Dean's and ran in to see Dean knelt by Sam on the floor. Sam had a cord wrapped around his neck choking him and Dean struggled trying to pull it off. I saw the bag lying next to Sam on the ground and ran to pick it up. I kicked a hole in the wall and threw the bag in causing a bright light to shine in the room.

Dean untangled the cord from Sam's neck and Sam collapsed against his brother gasping. I ran out of the room and down the stairs headed towards the basement to find Missouri but she was already climbing up the stairs from the basement.

"Did you get attacked?" I asked.

"Yes. A dresser shoved me into a wall."

"I got buried in books. Sam and Dean are upstairs. Sam is still catching his breath."

"Oh lord," Missouri said looking into the kitchen. "What a mess."

"Yeah," I heard Dean say coming down the stairs with Sam. "I was almost skewered."

"You sure it's over?" Sam asked as we stood in the wrecked kitchen.

"I'm sure," Missouri answered. "Why? Why do you ask?"

"Nevermind. It's nothing I guess."

The front door opened and closed and the lights flicked on and we turned to see Jenny and the kids standing in the doorway. I looked around the kitchen then to Dean who winced.

"Don't you worry," Missouri said to the woman. "Dean's gonna clean up this mess." I let out a snort at the look on Dean's face and Missouri turned to him. "Well what are you waiting for boy? Get the mop. And don't cuss at me!"

Dean looked at Missouri a moment with wide eyes then went to retrieve the mop. After the house was mostly back in order we left. We took Missouri back to her house but Sam convinced Dean to go back to Jenny's house just to make sure everything was okay tonight.

I was exhausted. I was running on what few hours I'd gotten in the car on the drive over and the uncomfortable sleep with Sam's knees in my back the night before. Now I was sitting in the Impala close to one in the morning watching a house. I put my legs across the seat and leaned against the door. I knew Sam and Dean were tired too so I tried to stay awake with them because misery loves company but I eventually fell asleep.

"Dean!" I heard Sam yell and jerked awake to see the boys jump out of the car and run towards the house. I shook the sleep away and jumped out after them.

"You guys get the kids! I'll get Jenny," Dean yelled as we ran to the house. I followed Sam to where the kids slept while Dean busted down Jenny's door.

"Get Ritchie! I'll get Sari," Sam said and I ran down the hall to the little boys room.

"Ritchie! Come on. We gotta go," I said trying not to spook the boy too bad.

"Mama?" he asked.

"She's outside. Come on. Let's go get to her," I said quickly picking up the boy.

I met Sam in the hallway and we ran down the stairs with a child in each of our arms. When we reached the front of the house Sam stopped.

"Red," he said.

"What is it Sam? We gotta get out!"

"Take Sari." He sat the girl on the ground and I took her hand looking at Sam curiously. "Run!" he yelled. Sam was suddenly jerked to the ground and dragged backwards. I ran with the kids to the front lawn and sat them down.

"It's got Sam," I yelled to Dean as I handed Ritchie to Jenny. Dean ran to the Impala and popped the trunk. I joined him and he handed me a shotgun.

"Stay out here with Jenny!" he said sternly pointing a finger at me. He hadn't pulled that on me since I was eighteen. I nodded despite wanting to punch him.

Dean ran across the yard towards the house while I ran back to Jenny and the kids. Dean tried kicking the door in but it didn't work. Instead he started in on it with an axe. Finally he busted through enough of the door to squeeze through and disappeared into the house.

I could hear thudding in the house and see the glow from the fiery figure through the window. I gripped the shotgun trying to decide to stay put or go in. Finally the noise calmed and the glow disappeared. I waited, looking through the windows for anything to happen but finally Sam and Dean emerged.

My grip relaxed and I ran to them. Sam met me gathering me up in his huge body for a relieved embrace and released me. He headed towards Jenny and I turned to Dean who looked like his mind wasn't there.

"Dean?" I asked bringing his attention back. "It's over?"

"Yeah," he answered and pulled me to him. He held me tightly and buried his face in my hair. My hands gripped the back of his shirt and my cheek was pressed into his chest.

"Are you okay?" I asked. He didn't answer right away.

"It was mom," he said in a quiet voice. That hadn't been what I expected to hear. "She saved us."

The next day after some much needed rest we picked up Missouri and headed back to the house one last time. Jenny had called us and said she wanted to thank us and she had something to give the boys. Missouri wanted to do one last look around the house anyway.

While Missouri looked through the house I sat on the front steps with Sam while Jenny gave Dean a box of things that were theirs from before their mom died.

"It's so weird," I said looking down at the steps below my feet. "I never thought I'd sit out here again."

"I know what you mean. But honestly I don't remember this house too much. I remember being at yours more," Sam said looking at the house next door.

"That's cause we were. But I refuse to go sit on those steps."

"Yeah me too."

"You and Dean going to be okay?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Dean will get passed it."

"Well, there are no spirits in there anymore," Missouri said walking out of the house behind us. She sat down on the steps next to me.

"Not even my mom?" Sam asked.

"No," Missouri said softly.

"What happened?"

"Your mom's spirit and the poltergeist's energy canceled each other out," Missouri explained. "Your mom destroyed herself going after that thing." Sam's face fell and I felt my heart break for him.

"Why would she do something like that?"

"Well, to protect her boys, of course." We sat silent for a moment and I stood walking to Jenny and Dean.

"So my house is safe?" Jenny asked.

"So says the psychic," I said leaning against the Impala next to her. "And I think she means it this time."

"Sam you ready?" Dean yelled to his brother on the steps. Sam and Missouri stood and I walked up to them and embraced Missouri after Sam.

"Good luck, Robin," she said with a wink.

"With hunting? I think I've got it covered."

"That's not what I mean." I looked at her with my eyebrows drawn together confused. "I know about your future Robin Browning."

"Thought you said you couldn't see the future?"

"I can't. But I can read people's minds. And that's all I need, to know this," she said and glanced over my shoulder. I looked back to see her looking at Dean who stood at the car waiting on me.

"Wha-," I started but she cut me off.

"Go on, Robin. I'm not spoiling anything for you."

I nodded slowly and walked to the car. What could she have read from my mind to know what would happen to me that I didn't know? Unless it wasn't my mind she was talking about. I glanced up at Dean who was looking at me curiously.

"Don't you three be strangers," Missouri called after us.

"We won't," Dean answered.

"See you around."

I waved to Missouri and Jenny and ducked into the backseat as Sam and Dean got in the front. Dean started the car up and we put Lawrence behind us once again.

"What was she saying to you, Red?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. She was being cryptic. Something about my future. I think she may be losing it."

"Well, I can't argue there."


	4. Faith

AN: Sorry guys. Had a bit of technical difficulty and my chapters were submitting as one giant paragraph. I believe it is fixed now. So to make up for it here's another chapter.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After Lawrence the boys found hunts to do constantly to keep their minds off their home and Mary. The search for John was on the back burner and now we focused on hunting as many creatures as we could.

I finally gave in and moved from sharing a bed with Sam to Dean. It was immensely better except for the occasional ass grab.

A few mornings ago I woke up to Dean's phone ringing. Sam called for Dean to answer it but Dean was out. Sam picked it up and answered it in a tired voice. I closed my eyes to go back to sleep when I heard Sam say it was John. I sat up looking at Sam who stared back at me wide eyed. I shoved Dean, shaking him awake and he grumbled at me swatting my hand away.

"Dean wake up. It's John." This got him awake and he sat up staring at Sam on the phone.

"Is that dad?" Dean asked.

John told Sam that he found out it was a demon that had killed Mary and Sam repeated the information to me and Dean. Dean pulled on a shirt and reached for the phone asking to talk to their dad. John was saying something to Sam but Sam was being stubborn and refused to do whatever he was asking. Dean demanded the phone again before he finally grabbed it from Sam. Dean went from worried to professional hunter taking his father's orders in a second.

John gave us a list of names to look into. A list of couples who had gone missing in Indiana every year during April. It was just a normal hunt. But it caused tension between the brothers.

Sam pulled the car over later that day and the two argued about their dad before Sam got out of the car and left us to go to California. Dean drove off leaving Sam walking in the other direction.

That week was eventful. I worried about Sam of course but Dean and I also got ourselves into trouble when we were chosen as the couple to be sacrificed to the god that brought the town a good apple farming season.

Luckily, Sam showed up and saved us from being skinned by a scarecrow god and the boys forgave each other.

Now we were back to hunting. Sam decided to stick around instead of searching for John for now and we were heading towards a house where a few kids had been taken.

We pulled up outside the old abandoned house and Dean opened the trunk handing Sam a taser and taking one himself. They were high powered and would bring down a Raw Head which had taken the children to eat them. I took a shotgun.

I followed the boys down into the cellar and searched for the kids. I was to get them to safety while Sam and Dean killed the thing that took them.

We got to the bottom of the stairs and movement caught our attention inside a cupboard. Sam and Dean stood back with their guns and flashlights trained on the doors while I tiptoed forward to pull them open.

I jerked them open and two little kids sat in the bottom of it. One let out a squeak and they covered their heads in fear.

"It's okay. We're going to get you out of here," I whispered.

"Is it still here?" Sam asked and they nodded.

"Alright, grab your sister's hand and go with Robin," Dean said and followed us to the stair case where I would take them to the car. Before we reached the top something grabbed my ankle pulling me down the stairs.

"Red! Get them out of here," Dean yelled.

"Go!" I yelled to the kids getting back to my feet and grabbing my shotgun to foliow them out. I could hear the thudding as Sam and Dean fought the thing. "Get in the car and lock the doors! Don't open it for anyone but us!" The kids nodded and I ran back to the cellar.

"Dean!" I heard Sam yell before I could make it down the steps.

When I burst into the room I saw Sam laying next to Dean's unconscious form. The raw head lay a few feet away dead. The taser was still clutched in Dean's hand and my brain made the connection on what happened.

"Shit!" I said running to the brothers and landing on my knees next to Sam checking Dean over. "Sam, his pulse is weak. We got to get him to a hospital. He may be having a heart attack."

Sam carried Dean out of the basement and to the car. He threw him into the back seat and I climbed in the back with him while Sam got up front in the drivers seat next to the kids.

"Hurry, Sam!" I said holding Dean's head in my lap. I checked for breathing and a pulse regularly and they were both fading.

"We'll call your parents at the hospital," Sam said flying towards the nearest hospital while the kids looked on scared.

"Sam, he's not breathing," I said panicking.

"Then do something!" he yelled. "CPR!"

I scooted around into the floorboard and started CPR on Dean. It was a skill I knew but didn't use often. My teeth were gritted as I pressed his chest and I fought against the tears and we finally pulled into the hospital.

Sam jerked the door open and dragged Dean from the backseat carrying him like it was nothing. I watched wide-eyed through the doors as they wheeled Dean off in a hurry. Sam running after them.

I turned to the kids staring at me scared.

"Let's park the car and call your parents."

After the Impala was parked I took the kids to a desk where they used the phone to call their parents.

"Ma'am do you know anything about the man they just brought in? Big guy? Even bigger brother?"

"Are you a relative?"

"Fiancé," I blurt out not specifying which brother because it shouldn't matter. It would get me through.

"Mr. Berkovitz?" she asked.

"Yes. Is he okay?"

"I'm not sure. All I can tell you is what room he's in?"

"Great, which one?"

I left the kids with a nurse to get checked out and all but ran down the hall to the room Dean was in. The door was open and Sam stood just inside as the doctors and nurses tried to get Dean's heartbeat back. I grabbed Sam's arm watching fearful. He turned to me slightly pulling me to his side. Finally a heartbeat started and he was stabilized.

"You're his brother?" a doctor asked Sam.

"Yes. Is he okay now?"

"I'm afraid not. I need to run some test. How did this happen?"

"Electrocuted," Sam said causing he doctor to look at him curiously but Sam didn't elaborate.

"Sir," a nurse said popping her head in. "Mr. Berkovitz, the police are here to talk to you."

"Right, the kids," Sam said turning to me.

"I'll stay right here," I said and Sam nodded and left. A nurse was working on Dean setting him up to machines and the doctor joined her as they worked on finding out what happened to him.

"Ma'am, what relation are you?" the doctor asked.

"Fiancé," I said almost too quickly. My nerves were messing with my game face.

"To this Mr. Berksovitz?" he asked pointing to Dean.

"Yes."

"Then maybe you can answer some questions for me."

I answered the questions including Dean's medical history and what he was electrocuted by.

"I'll be back shortly with some answers. Let him rest," the doctor said and left.

I walked to Dean's side and gripped his hand before walking into the hall to look for Sam. He was walking towards me and the doctor joined us a moment later.

"The electrocution triggered a heart attack. Pretty massive, I'm afraid. His heart is damaged."

"How damaged?" Sam asked.

"We've done all we can. We can try and keep him comfortable at this point," the doctor said and my heart dropped. "But I'd give him a couple of weeks at most, maybe a month." I swallowed hard and gritted my teeth.

"No, no, there's got to be something you can do," Sam argued. "Some kind of treatment."

"We can't work miracles. I really am sorry."

I stood still in the hallway with Sam after the doctor left.

"Sam?" I asked with more fear in my voice than I would have liked.

"He's not dying," Sam said sternly.

"Good," I said taking a deep breath and meeting Sam's eyes. "What are we going to do?"

We walked into Dean's room a while later after he had woken up to find him flipping through channels on the TV. He looked horrible. His eyes were sunken and his face pale.

"You ever actually watch daytime TV?" he asked when we entered the room. "It's terrible."

"I talked to your doctor," Sam said after a deep breath.

"That fabric softener teddy bear, ooh, I want to hunt that little bitch down," Dean said avoiding the subject.

"Dean?"

"Yeah." He cut the TV off giving Sam his attention. "Right, well, looks like your gotta leave town without me."

"What are you talking about? I'm not gonna leave you here."

"Hey, you better take care of that car. Or I swear I'll haunt your ass. And Red too. She's a mess working alone."

"I don't think that's funny," Sam said and I rolled my eyes at Dean. Even on his deathbed he's still an ass.

"Oh, come on, it's a little funny." Sam stared at his brother and I felt they needed a moment so I said I was going to get us some food and left.

When I came back Sam was leaving.

"I got food," I said holding up fast food bags.

"Uh thanks. Not really hungry right now. I'm going to go get us a room and start researching some stuff. You okay to stay with him for now?"

"Yeah. I'll meet you there later after visiting hours."

"Alright. See ya." Sam walked off and I entered the room where Dean had turned the small TV back on.

"I brought food," I said and he turned to me and gave me a weak smile.

"Thank you, my gorgeous fiancé." I rolled my eyes.

"Oh shut up. It was the only relation that they allow back her that wouldn't involve me having the same last name."

"Married sister? Cousin?" Dean started naming things off.

"First one I thought of. Are you going to shut up or should I go with Sam and take the food with me?"

"I'll shut up," Dean said and I took a seat handing him the bag. He dug through it pulling out his food. "Honestly I'm not even sure I'm allowed to eat this."

"You think it'll hurt you?"

"Hell no," Dean said biting into his burger. "I've only got a few weeks left anyway. What's a burger gonna do?"

I lost my appetite at the mention of Dean's death being so close. I stared at him as he watched TV and thought about how I'd never see him again after a few weeks.

"You okay?" he asked noticing.

"No," I said like it was obvious. "You got your dumbass killed. Why the hell would I be okay?"

"Red, come on. We knew this would happen eventually."

"Don't act like it's normal for people to die at twenty-six."

"It is for people who do what we do."

"So you'd be okay if it were me or Sam in your place?"

"Of course not."

"Exactly."

"I'd go to the end of the universe to find a way to save you two."

And that was exactly what me and Sam were going to do. I didn't say anything more about it to Dean because I knew he would argue and try to talk me out of it. I sat and watched bad television with Dean for a while before a nurse came in and told me Dean needed to rest.

"Call if you need anything," I said standing. "We're just right down the street."

"Sure thing, baby," Dean said playing it up for the nurse in the room. He puckered up for a kiss and I nearly rolled my eyes before I saw the nurse staring at us sadly. Right. I'm a grieving soon to be widow. I gave Dean a tight smile and a peck on the lips.

"See you in the morning."

"See ya." His smile was teasing as I left the room.

A few days later I got out of the shower and walked into the main room of he motel to find Sam leaving a message for John on his phone. I glanced over the piles of paper's we had been researching to find a way to save Dean.

"Take a break," I said squeezing my hair dry with a towel.

"I can't."

"I'll look. Take a shower." Before Sam could answer there was a knock on the door.

Sam stood and cautiously approached the door. I laid the towel down and inched towards my gun. He opened the door to reveal a weak and sickly looking Dean.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sam asked as Dean walked past him into the room.

"I checked myself out," Dean said using the dresser as a prop to hold himself up.

"Are you crazy?"

"I'm not going to die in a hospital where the nurses aren't even hot. Not when I've got my little brother and hot fiancé right down the street."

Dean winked at me and I shook my head at him sitting down on the end of a bed.

"You know, this whole 'I laugh in the face of death' thing, it's crap. I can see right through it," Sam said closing the door.

"Yeah, whatever, dude. Have you even slept? You look worse than me."

"He hasn't," I said causing Sam to shoot me a glare.

"I've been scouring the internet for the last three days." Sam helped Dean over to sit beside me. "Been calling every contact in dad's journal."

"For what?" Dean asked leaning on me slightly.

"For a way to help you. Bobby's been searching too. One of dad's friends, Joshua, he called me back, told me about a guy in Nebraska. A specialist."

"You're not gonna let me die in peace, are you?" I thumped Dean's leg. "Ow! I'm dying Red. Be nice."

"I'm not gonna let you die, period. We're going," Sam said. "Red, let's get the stuff packed. Dean just sit and rest."

"I'm not completely useless."

"Yes you are. But that's not because you're sick. You've always been useless," I said patting his leg and winking as I stood to pack our bags.

Nebraska. That's where we headed with Sam behind the wheel and Dean bitching in the passenger seat. This healer we were going to see had a house out in a field and that's where were supposed to go. The Impala hit the mud puddles jarring us all and causing obvious discomfort for Dean.

Out in the yard of the house was a large white tent. Cars were parked all around and all manner of sick and wounded made their way inside. Sam parked the car and we got out. He attempted to help Dean but he of course refused help even though he was barely standing on two feet.

"Man you're a lying bastard," Dean complained shutting the door behind him. "Thought you said we were going to see a doctor."

"I said 'a specialist'," Sam corrected. I walked on one side of Dean and Sam was on the other making sure he didn't fall but without letting him know we were concerned. Dean complained the entire walk to the tent, offending several people we passed on the way.

One of the people Dean offended was a blonde woman who turned around to interrupt the argument between the boys.

"Maybe God works in mysterious ways," she said.

"Maybe he does," Dean said flirting. "I think you just turned me around on the subject."

I rolled my eyes and watched as the police escorted a protester away. I wasn't sure about this 'faith healing' stuff either but I was willing to try anything if it meant Dean would be okay.

"Come on," Sam said tapping me on the shoulder bringing my attention away from the protester.

We filed inside the tent to see rows of folding metal chairs lined up in front of a stage. The tent was packed with people. I stuck close to Sam and Dean. I never liked the overly religious. Gave me the creeps.

Dean attempted to sit in a row of chairs towards the back but Sam wasn't having it. Instead we found three chairs in the front and Sam made us sit there. I sat between them and Dean sat in the chair by the aisle. I glanced around at the badly made signs with scripture written on them and cringed at the verses that meant nothing to me. _Just here to make Dean better. If God can do that, then go right ahead._

A man on the stage started talking and I gathered he was the faith healer. A blind man named Roy. The crowd gave out a unison 'yes' after every sentence he said containing the word 'God'. '_God says to kill all the children and bathe in their blood.' 'Yes.'_ I rolled my eyes and tried not to let my thoughts get in the way. _Just get Dean healed._

Sam squeezed my leg and looked over me at Dean. I'm not sure if it was something Roy said that caused him to do it or that he felt my discomfort. I could almost see it radiating off Dean.

"It is the lord who guides me on choosing who to heal by seeing into peoples hearts," Roy said causing the crowd to let out an 'Amen.'

"Or into their wallets," Dean mumbled to me and Sam.

"You think so, young man?" Roy said and I almost didn't catch that he was actually talking to Dean.

"Sorry," Dean said just as surprised as me that he'd heard him.

"No, no. Don't be," Roy said. "Just watch what you say around a blind man. We got real sharp ears. What's your name son?"

"Dean."

"Dean," Roy repeated and paused as if he were considering the name a good deal. "I want you to come up here with me." The crowd started clapping and cheering and Dean looked panicked. He looked at me and Sam and I know my expression didn't help him because it was probably panicked too. But Sam gave Dean a solid slap on the knee and encouraged him to go on up.

"No, it's okay," Dean said waving a hand and smiling trying to get the attention off himself.

"What are you doing?" Sam hissed.

"You've come here to be healed haven't you?" Roy asked.

"Well, yeah, but," The crowd started to clap again before Dean could protest further. "Maybe you should just pick someone else," he said over the crowd.

"Oh, no. I didn't pick you, Dean. The Lord did." the crowd cheered again.

"Just get it over with before these people 'Amen' something else," I mumbled sure Roy probably heard it but I wanted to go.

"This is ridiculous," Dean said standing. He walked slowly up the stairs to stand next to Roy. I watched anxiously hoping this would work. Dean said something to Roy who replied smiling.

"Pray with me, friends."

Hands were raised in the air and heads were bowed but I kept watching Dean. Roy raised his hands up and Dean watched him curiously as he placed one on his shoulder. Roy moved his hand up to Dean's head and Dean's eyes met mine with a worried raised eyebrow. I might've laughed if his life didn't depend on this nut.

"All right. All right, now," Roy started to say.

Dean looked slightly uncomfortable then his face changed and his knees started to give. He swallowed trying to fight it but eventually hit the ground on his knees with Roy's hand resting on his head. I started to stand but Sam stopped me.

"All right, now," Roy said and Dean collapsed onto the ground completely. The crowd cheered and Sam and I jumped up running to him.

"Hey, hey," Sam repeated grabbing the front of Dean's jacket and shaking him.

"Dean?" I asked grabbing his hand.

Dean jerked up gasping and looked between me and Sam. His eyes slid past me and widened as he stared at something behind me. I turned but only saw Roy standing smiling at the crowd.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"He is more than okay now," Roy said while the crowd continued cheering at the miracle he had performed.

"Yeah. We'll see what a doctor says," I mumbled, again forgetting Roy had super hearing.

"Help him up," Sam said. I helped Sam get Dean to his feet and after a lot of congratulations we left the crazy farm.

"I hope that worked. That was the scariest thing I've ever endured. Something about in-sync 'hallelujah's' freak me out."

"I'm not gonna disagree," Dean said.

Sam drove to a doctor's office nearby the next day and they ran some test's on Dean. Now we sat in a room waiting for the doctor to return with the results.

"You think it worked?" Sam asked as he paced.

"I feel fine, Sam," Dean said from his spot sitting on the examination table. The doctor walked in and we turned in anticipation.

"Well, according to all your test results there's nothing wrong with your heart," she said looking at her clipboard. We all three visibly relaxed and let out a sigh. I relaxed back into the chair I was sitting in with a thud. "No sign there ever was. Not that a man your age should be having heart trouble. But, uh, still it's strange. It does happen."

"What do you mean strange?" Dean asked

"Well, just yesterday, a young guy like you, 27, athletic, out of nowhere, heart attack."

My eyes traveled up and met Sam's. That was strange. Same day Dean is healed another man dies of the same thing.

"Thanks Doc," Dean said.

"No problem, she said and left the room.

"That's odd," Dean said looking at Sam suspiciously.

"Maybe it's a coincidence," Sam argued. "People's hearts give out all the time man."

"No they don't."

"Look Dean, do we really have to look this one in the mouth? Why can't we just be thankful that the guy saved your life and move on?"

"Because I can't shake this feeling, that why," Dean said standing to talk to Sam on his level. Dean turned and I handed him his jacket.

"What feeling?"

"When I was healed, I just, I felt wrong. I felt cold, and for a second, I saw someone. This old man. I'm telling you guys, it was a spirit."

"If there was something there, I think I would have seen it too. I've been seeing an awful lot of things lately."

"Oh, excuse me, psychic wonder. You're just gonna need a little faith on this one. Sam, I've been hunting long enough to trust a feeling like this." Sam let out a sigh and looked over at me.

"I think we should at least look into it," I said.

"Yeah all right," Sam gave in. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Why don't you two go check out the heart attack guy. I'm gonna visit the reverend."

Sam and I went and asked around about the heart attack victim. He visited a pool everyday and we asked a worker there who had seen it what happened.

He said he had been running before he collapsed. He was freaking out about something that was apparently chasing him but the worker swore there was nothing after him.

I nudged Sam as we walked up the steps towards where the victim had collapsed. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow and I gestured towards the clock ahead of us with my head.

The worker explained they couldn't get it working again. The time was stuck on 4:17. The time the victim died. My mind did the calculations. We arrived at Roy's tent a little before four and the service started a few minutes after. Dean would have been healed at approximately 4:17.

Sam and I arrived at the motel room before Dean. Sam sat at the table on his laptop while I leafed through John's journal looking for anything useful on this.

Dean walked in and I looked up at him from under my lashes then to Sam and back to the journal. Dean paused beside the bed and turned to Sam.

"What'd you find out?"

"I'm sorry," Sam started.

"Sorry about what?"

"Marshall Hall died at 4:17." Dean's eyebrows jumped when he realized what that meant and he looked back at me then to Sam.

"The exact time I was healed."

"Yeah. So I put together a list of everyone Roy has healed. Six people over the past year. We cross checked them with the local obits. Every time someone was healed, someone else died. Each time the victim died of the same symptom Le Grange was healing at the time."

"Someone's healed of cancer, someone else dies of cancer?"

"Somehow, Le Grange is trading a life for another."

"Wait, wait, wait. So, Marshall Hall died to save me?"

"Dean," Sam started and paused not knowing what to say to make it better.

"The guy probably would have died anyway," I said from the bed. "Roy would've healed someone else and he would've still died."

"You never should have brought me here," Dean said standing from the table.

"Dean, I was just trying to save your life."

"But Sam, some guy is dead now because of me," Dean argued walking to the door.

"I didn't know." The brothers stared at each other considering what the other had said. "The thing I don't understand is, how is Roy doing it. How is he trading a life for a life?"

"I can't find anything in this book," I said closing the journal and sliding it off my lap.

"Oh, he's not doing it. Something else is doing it for him."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"The old man I saw on stage. I didn't want to believe it, but deep down I knew it."

"You knew what? What are you talking about?"

"There's only one thing that can give and take life like that. We're dealing with a reaper." I sighed at Dean's discovery and picked the journal up again looking with the new found information in mind.

For the next few hours we sat around researching all we could find on reapers. I had to agree with Dean that this did sound right. The time stopping and Dean being the only one to see it in the tent.

"The question is, how's Roy controlling the damn thing," Dean asked from his spot at the table.

"The cross," Sam said more to himself.

"What?"

"There was this cross. I noticed it in the church tent." Sam picked up a stack of cards to shuffle through them. "I knew I had seen it before." He pulled one out and showed it to Dean and I. "Here."

"A tarot?" Dean asked taking the card.

"It makes sense. I mean tarot dates back to the early christian era, when some priest were still using magic and few veered into the dark stuff. Necromancy and how to push death away, how to cause it."

"So Roy is using black magic to bind the reaper?"

"That sounds like a terrible idea," I mumbled.

"Yeah, it's like putting a dog leash on a great white," Sam agreed. Dean stood to pace before he stopped and stood against the counter.

"Okay, so we stop Roy."

"How?"

"You know how."

"What the hell are you talking about? We can't kill Roy."

"Sam, the guy is playing God. Deciding who lives and dies. That's a monster in my book."

"No, we're not gonna kill a human being, Dean. We do that, we're no better than he is."

"Okay, so we can't kill Roy, we can't kill death. Any bright ideas, college boy?"

"We could always free the reaper and let it kill Roy," I said earning a scowl from Sam. I shrugged.

"If Roy is using some kind of black spell on the reaper we got to figure out what it is and how to break it."

"Which will lead to the reaper killing Roy." Sam sighed at me.

"Well, let's head to Roy's. See if we can find a spell book."

We got to Roy's and Dean headed to the tent to stall Roy from performing another 'miracle' and Sam and I went to the house to search for the book. The protester was outside again and this time I took a flyer he was handing out.

We climbed through a window on the side of the house and looked around. As far I could see it was normal. Nothing suspicious.

"He must have a room where he keeps it hidden," Sam said looking around. I walked to a door and tried the handle. Locked.

"I'm betting this must have something good behind it." Sam came over and picked the lock and we walked in.

It was an office. I looked through the desk drawers while Sam read over the books on the book shelf. I shuffled through tax papers and half assed letters to charity givers. The desk was clean.

"Hey," Sam said holding a book.

I stood and went to his side looking at it as he flipped through. There were newspaper clippings of the people who had been killed and some suspicious calligraphy written on the pages. A page was bookmarked and Sam flipped over to it. A drawing of a reaper was on the left page and the cross from the tent on the one before.

"Bingo," I said while Sam read over the headlines on the newspaper clippings.

"They had all done something that upset Le Grange." Sam pulled one out and unfolded it. The headline read, "Wright: Local church cult."

"Great. Looks like first amendment out there is the next victim."

"Let's go," Sam said pushing me towards the door. He pulled his cell phone out when we got outside and called Dean to tell him what was happening.

Sam and I ran through the cars searching for the protester. I was headed in one direction and Sam in another. I looked into the cars and between all of them but I couldn't find him.

"Damn it," I huffed and pulled my phone out to see if Sam was having any luck. He didn't answer and I headed in the direction he had gone.

"I'm telling you it didn't work! Roy must not be controlling this thing!" I heard Sam yell and rounded the corner of a van to him on the phone and the protester on the ground dying. I slid to the ground next to him and tried to figure out what was killing him so I could stop it but I couldn't figure it out.

Suddenly his struggling stopped and he calmed sitting up. Sam helped him up and I looked around half expecting to see the reaper.

"Thank God," the man said.

"Well, I dunno about that," I said earning a glare from Sam. "Let's find Dean."

We approached the tent to see Dean flanked by two officers. They exchanged some words before the officers roughly shoved him away.

"What exactly just happened?" the protester asked stopping at his car.

"It's hard to explain," Sam said. "The best thing for you to do is leave town for a while. Get as far away from here as you can. Come back in a few weeks."

"Yeah. Don't have to tell me twice." He got in his car and I waved at him as he drove away.

"Such a nice guy," I remarked.

"Private session tonight. No interruptions. You have my word, I'll heal your daughter," we overheard Roy say as Dean walked up.

Back at the motel we discussed what we had found out. Roy actually believed he could heal people. It was Sue Ann, his wife, that was controlling the reaper.

"To cross the line like that. A preachers wife. Black magic, murder. Evil," Sam said.

"Desperate," Dean said. "Her husband was dying. She would've done anything to save him."

"Guess we can relate," I said laying back on the bed exhausted.

"Save us from all the people who think they're doing God's work," Dean said shaking his head.

"Amen," I said with my eyes closed.

"We got to break that binding spell."

We were back at Roy's house a few hours later. It was dark now and Layla, the girl Roy was healing was already inside.

We headed to the tent and peeked inside. A small crowd was gathered and Roy stood in the front with Layla.

"Where's Sue Ann?" Dean asked.

"House," Sam said gesturing to the house behind the tent.

We headed to the house and Dean started to shove us out of the way.

"Go find Sue Ann. I'll catch up."

"What are you…," Sam started but stopped when he noticed the police officers walking down the front steps of the house. Sam and I hid while Dean drew them off around the house. When they were gone we headed up the porch looking for any sign of Sue Ann through the windows. I went around one side while Sam went the other and we met in the back.

"Nothing," I reported and Sam shook his head. Sam looked around angrily before looking down and pausing.

"The basement," he said and I looked over the railing to see he was looking down at a pair of storm doors and light was shining through them.

We ran around to the doors and quietly crept inside and down the stairs. The room was dark, only being lit by candles scattered around. We found the alter in the back but no Sue Ann.

"What do we do? Knock it over?" I asked.

"Red, look," Sam said picking up the picture on the alter. It was of Dean. Sue Ann's next victim was Dean Winchester.

"I gave your brother life, and I can take it away," Sue Ann said from behind us.

I jerked around and started towards her but she was already halfway up the stairs. I heard Sam knock the alter over. I was running up the stairs towards Sue Ann when she closed the doors in my face and slide something across them to hold them shut. I pushed on them but they wouldn't budge. Sam climbed past me and shoved on them himself but they still weren't going anywhere.

"Can't you see? The lord chose me to rewards the just and punish the wicked."

"You're a goddamn nutcase woman!" I yelled.

"I'm sorry, Robin, but Dean is wicked. And he deserves to die, just as Layla deserves to live." Sam gave up the shoving and went back down the steps. "It's God's will."

"I'll show you God's will you damn lunatic," I said and followed Sam down the stairs.

Sam had started to knock a whole in a wall that led outside and I picked up a bar to help him. As soon as the hole was big enough we climbed through.

"You find Dean! I'll get Sue Ann," Sam yelled and ran off towards the tent.

I ran around the house and between cars desperately searching for Dean. I knew there was nothing I could do once I found him but I had to try something.

I found him towards the edge of the yard. He was gasping on his knee's in the mud.

"Dean!" I yelled running towards him. I dropped down into the mud beside him taking him by the shoulders. His lips started to turn blue and when he opened his eyes they were pale and yellowed. "Don't you do this to me again, Dean Winchester! Hold on!"

"Robin!" he gasped. He let out a strangled yell and grabbed my arms desperate to hold on.

Suddenly he let go of me and fell back gasping for air. The color returned to his face and eyes and he looked past me at something. I turned and saw nothing. The reaper.

"Is it gone?" I asked.

"It's leaving," Dean said out of breath.

"Come on," I said grabbing Dean's hand and helping him up. "Let's get out of here before we get arrested. I got a feeling that thing went after Sue Ann."

"Thanks, Red," Dean spoke softly once we were back by the car.

"I didn't do anything. Sam stopped the reaper."

"Yeah but I heard what you did last week when I was dying. I would be dead if you hadn't given me CPR in the car."

"Couldn't let you die, could I? You haven't let me die yet."

"And I don't plan to."

"You okay?" Sam asked approaching us.

"Hell of a week," Dean replied.

"Yeah. All right. Come on. We should get going."

"Yeah we should. I'm gonna catch pneumonia out in this rain," I complained. Dean winked at me flicking a strand of wet hair over my shoulder before we got in the car.

"So tell me, Red," Dean said starting the car. "The real reason you gave me CPR was so you could make out with me while I was unconscious wasn't it?"

"Next time I'm letting you die, Winchester," I said causing both boys to chuckle.


	5. Dead Man's Blood

The last few weeks were crazy. We'd met another guy with the similar abilities as Sam. Apparently there were several of these children all born within the same year who's mothers were killed 6 months after their births.

I left to stay with Bobby for a few weeks after that and during the time I was gone the boys found their dad. Sort of. They were attacked by a demon named Meg and used as bait to draw their dad to them. After defeating the demon they found their dad but split up again almost immediately.

I was upset I hadn't gotten to see John but Dean made a valid point when he mentioned they were weaker together because they would always put each other first instead of doing what they had to.

The boys called me on their way to Colorado from New York. Apparently, some hunter that knew John had been killed in his home and it was suspicious. Like a bear attack but he had been robbed too. Of course it was our kind of thing not to mention he was a hunter.

They picked me up and after a quick visit with Bobby we were on our way to Colorado.

There was snow on the ground and the cabin lay deep in the woods. When we got there Sam picked the lock and we let ourselves in. The place was a mess, but most of it was from Elkins own neglect than the robbery.

Elkins had salt in front of the doors and a journal similar to Johns but much older. I stuffed it in my bag to look over more closely later and tip toed through the house with the boys to where the most wreckage was. Where the man had been killed.

The man's office in the back of the house lay in ruins. The sky light windows were busted out and the door kicked in. Dean toed a box that lay on the floor empty that looked like it once held a gun. I stepped past him to look in the empty safe. No clues there.

Dean found something scratched into the floor and traced it off on a piece of paper revealing that it was the location and combination of a post office box.

That was our next stop. We found the post office and the box inside and Dean entered the combination. Inside lay a single letter. The envelope was addressed to simply J.W.

"J.W. Do you think, John Winchester?" Sam asked once we were back in the car. I was leaned over the back of the front seat between them as we decided the next move.

"I don't know. Should we open it?" Dean asked right before a knock sounded on the window next to him causing us to jump. My eyes widened when I realized it was John. "Dad?"

John opened the door behind Dean and slid into the backseat beside me.

"John!" I said wrapping my arms around him in a hug.

"Hey, Red. It's been a while."

"I hated hearing I missed you in Chicago."

"Oh, it was rough anyway. I wouldn't have wanted you there."

"Dad, what are you doing here? Are you all right?" Sam interrupted.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Look, I read the news about Daniel. I got here as fast as I could. I saw you guy up at his place."

"Why didn't you come in, Dad?"

"You know why. Because I had to make sure you weren't followed by anyone or anything." John looked between the boys. "Nice job of covering your tracks by the way."

"Yeah, well, we learned from the best," Dean spoke.

"Wait, so you came all the way out here for this Elkins guy?" Sam said.

"Yeah. He was… he was a good man. He taught me a hell of a lot about hunting."

"You never mentioned him to us."

"We had kind of a falling out. I hadn't seen him in years. I should look at that," John said gesturing to the letter. Dean handed it to him and John opened it. I held a flashlight for him so he could see. "'If you're reading this, I'm already dead.' That son of a bitch."

"What is it?" Dean asked.

"He had it the whole time."

"Dad, what?" Sam asked confused. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked up at John.

"When you searched the place, did you see a gun, an antique, a Colt revolver? Did you see it?"

"Uh, there was an old case, but it was empty," Dean said and I remembered the empty box on the floor.

"They have it.

"You mean whatever killed Elkins?"

"We got to pick up their trail," John said and got out of the car.

"Wait," Sam yelled through the open window. "You want us to come with you?"

"If Elkins is telling the truth, we've got to find this gun."

"The gun? Why?"

"Because it's important that's why."

"Dad, we don't even know what these things are yet."

"They were what Danny Elkins killed best," John said explaining, "vampires."

"Vampires?" Dean asked. "I though there was no such thing."

"You never even mentioned them, dad."

I pulled Elkins's journal out of my bag and tucked the flashlight between my shoulder and jaw as I flipped through it. I found the section on vampires and it was vast. Filled with information.

"I thought they are extinct," John said. "I though Elkins and others had wiped them out. I was wrong."

The brothers looked between each other.

"You find anything in that book, Red?" he asked.

"Yeah. There's tons of pages on them."

"Most vampire lore is crap. A cross won't repel them," John started explaining. "Sunlight won't kill them and neither will a stake to the heart."

"So Buffy was a lie?" I asked saddened.

"The bloodlust, that part's true. They need fresh human blood to survive. They were once people, so you won't know it's a vampire until it's too late. The only way to kill them-"

"Is to cut off the head," I said reading from the journal.

"Yeah. Keep your scanner on you. We'll hear from them sooner or later."

John turned and walked off to his truck. We followed him to a motel where we got a room. We took the radio into a room and settled in to try and rest before having to hunt them. John sat up and listened to the radio and I volunteered to take over in a few hours if he got tired. He insisted he was fine and I climbed in a bed next to Dean and fell asleep.

I woke up a few hours later to John hitting my booted foot to wake up. He went down the line and hit Sam and Dean's too waking us all up as he put his jacket on.

"Let's go," he said to which both me and the boys groaned. "Picked up a police call."

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"A couple called 911. They found a body in the street. Cops got there. Everyone was missing. It's the vampires."

"How do you know?" Sam asked groaning as he sat up. I rubbed at my eyes wishing there was more evidence before I got out of the warm bed too. But, I knew I had to get up and go or things would get ugly.

"Just follow me, okay?" John snapped at Sam. I sat up and stretched and immediately wanted to bury into the covers again. It was too cold in Colorado to wake up at 4:30 AM for a vampire hunt.

"Left my damn coat in the car," I said pulling on my jacket. "It's too fucking cold here."

"I'm just glad you slept with your shoes on. Any other night your cold ass toes are pressed into my legs," Dean complained.

"Shut up," I said smacking him on the back of the head. He chuckled and handed me his leather jacket to wear. I snatched it out of his hand and pulled it on. It engulfed me but it would do until I got to the car and got mine on.

"Vampires," Dean sighed. "It's funnier every time I hear it."

I fell into the backseat of the Impala and fought to stay awake as we followed John in his truck out to where the call came from. The sun was just rising when we pulled up. I slipped Dean's coat off and pulled my own on handing his to him.

We got out and John stopped us saying he'd handle it and walked off to talk to the cops. We leaned against the hood of the car and waiting.

"I don't see why we couldn't have gone over with him," Sam complained.

"Oh, don't tell me it's already starting," Dean groaned.

"What's starting?"

"What do you got?" Dean asked turning to his dad.

"It was them all right," John said. "It looks like they're heading west. We have to double back to get around that detour."

"How can you be so sure?" Sam countered. Dean tried to stop him from starting an argument but Sam wasn't having it. "I just want to know we're going in the right direction."

"We are," John said sternly.

"How do you know?"

"I found this," John said pulling something from his pocket. Dean took it from him and looked it over.

"It's a vampire fang?" Dean asked.

"No fangs. Teeth. Thee second set descends when they attack. Anymore questions?" John asked turning to Sam.

Sam didn't say anything and I almost felt bad for him. John was being hasty towards this hunt but I knew better than to question him because it would only make him mad and things would be much more complicated than necessary.

"And, Dean, why don't you touch up your car before you get rust? I wouldn't have given you the damn thing if I thought you were gonna ruin it," John said walking to his truck. Dean looked hurt as he looked over his car.

It was official. John was in a foul mood which meant he was going to be rude and mean to everyone. Dean got into the passenger seat letting Sam drive and I got into the back. We followed behind John back around the detour.

"Hey, Red, hand me that journal," Dean said holding his hand up for it. I took it from my bag and set it in his hand.

"Vampires are marked with the sticky note," I clarified and he flipped to it and read over it a bit.

"Vampires nest in groups of eight to ten. Smaller packs are sent out to hunt for food. Victims are taken to the nest, where the pack keeps them alive, bleeding them for days or weeks. I wonder if that's what happened to that 911 couple."

"That's probably what dad's thinking," Sam said. "Of course, it would be nice if he just told us what he thinks."

"So it is starting," Dean said looking at Sam.

"What?"

"Sam, we've been looking for dad all year. Now we're not with him for more than a couple of hours and there's static already."

"No. Look, I'm happy he's okay, alright, and I'm happy that we're all working together."

"Good."

The boys continued to argue about their dad and I slid down in my seat sighing. We traveled for a while and John didn't allow stops while we were on the job so we ate gas station food for lunch. The sun was already going down when John finally called Dean.

"Yeah dad. Alright. Got it," he answered and hung up. "Pull over at the next exit."

"Why?" Sam asked.

"Cause dad thinks we got the vampires' trail."

"How?" I wondered the same since we had literally been in vehicles the entire day.

"I don't know. He didn't say." Sam floored the Impala and zoomed past John before pulling in front of him and slamming the breaks stopping the car in the road and causing John to stop too.

"Oh, crap. Here we go," Dean groaned. "Stay by the car, Red. Sam!"

"Ah, hell," I hissed and stood out of my door on the opposite side of the car from the family dispute.

I understood Dean didn't want me to get involved in what were family affairs but I had been there for most their history and I would step in if I needed to. But, I hoped Dean could handle it.

Dean attempted to get them to stop before it started but Sam continued the argument. John stepped close to Sam demanding him get back in the car and I started to worry that they might start throwing punches. Dean tried again to get them to separate and grabbed Sam by the front of his jacket shoving him towards the car. Sam mumbled something about leaving for college in the first place but John heard it.

"Yeah, you left," John bit out. "Your brother and me, we needed you. Red, is more loyal and she's not even family."

"Don't drag her into it," Dean muttered irritated clearly exhausted from the arguing.

"You walked away, Sam. You walked away!" John yelled grabbing the front of Sam's jacket.

"Stop it!" Dean said torn on what to do. There was no reason for him to be the grown one here but he was. Just as he had always been his whole life. I gripped the top of the door nervous of where this could go.

"You're the one who said, 'don't come back,' dad. You're the one who closed that door, not me! You were just pissed off you couldn't control me anymore!"

"Stop it!" Dean said finally pushing the two apart forcefully. "Stop it! That's enough!" He wedged himself between the two and turned to his dad. "That means you, too."

Sam turned and jerked the drivers door open and got in. John stomped off to his truck and Dean let out a sigh and shrugged.

"Terrific," he mumbled to me as he passed. "I love family vacations."

We found the place where the vampires were hiding out and parked our vehicles to wait until the sun was up so they'd be asleep. I volunteered to translate information between the two cars so no one would get punched. Hopefully anyway. John was a complete ass to me but it wasn't anything I hadn't experience before.

"Get some rest but don't sleep too deep. All I need is you dumbass kids screwing this up."

"Yes sir," I said and rolled my eyes turning away.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, Robin Browning."

I didn't reply and went back to the Impala to tell them the plan. Dean slid down in his seat to get some sleep but Sam sat up staring ahead out the windshield still tense from the argument. I laid my hand on his shoulder and squeezed softly.

"He's a dick, Sam. Don't let him bother you. Get some sleep and prove him wrong in the morning."

Sam nodded but didn't relax much. I laid across the backseat with my legs folded and stared at the roof for far too long before finally slipping into sleep.

"Get up," Dean said hitting my leg. "Rise and shine."

I sat up in the seat and attempted to flatten my hair from being pressed against the leather seat for hours. I climbed out of the car after the boys and walked to where John was already standing. Dean held up a pair of binoculars and looked towards the barn where the vampires where.

"Son of a bitch. So they're really not afraid of the sun?"

"No, direct sunlight hurts like a nasty sunburn. The only way to kill is by beheading. But, luckily they sleep during the day. But, it doesn't mean they won't wake up," John explained.

"So I guess walking right in's not our best option."

"Actually, that's the plan."

We gathered our weapons from the back of the vehicles. Dean handed me a machete from the trunk. I strapped it against my leg. I put my gun in the waistband of my pants and my knife in my boot even though I knew they wouldn't be much help. I just felt better having them with me.

"You really want to know about this Colt?" John spoke up. We all stopped what we were doing to look up at him.

"Yes, sir," Sam replied.

"It's just a story. A legend, really. Well I though it was," John started. He told us the story of the Colt and how it was made for hunters. Apparently there were only thirteen bullets. "They say this gun can kill anything."

"Kill anything, like supernatural anything?" Dean asked.

"Like the demon," Sam said putting the pieces together.

"Yeah, the demon," John confirmed.

We found a door to a hayloft we could climb into the barn through. John went first, then Sam, then Dean, then Dean helped pull me over into the barn. The vampires slept in hammocks right in front of us.

John had gone off to find the Colt and we were supposed to find any humans to free. I followed Sam past the vampires and we found a girl tied up to a post. Dean came over and we started to untie her when we heard more from a line of cages past the girl.

I went with Dean to help them while Sam finished freeing the girl. I looked through the slats of the cages and saw the victims lying weak around the floor. Dean picked up the lock holding them in and I pulled a bobby pin from my pony tail handing it to him. He gave me a grin and started to pick the lock. Pretty soon he pulled it loose and handed it to me to dispose of while he tried to quietly open the doors.

We stopped suddenly when a inhuman scream tore through the air of the barn. I jerked around to the hammocks and saw the vampires waking. I pulled the machete from my leg and took a stance to fight. I heard crashing from the direction John had gone in before he called for us to run. Dean grabbed my arm pushing me in front of him as I ran two steps behind Sam for the exit. Dean was two steps behind me and the horde of vampires hot on his heels.

We broke out into the sunlight and ran straight for the car without looking back. When we reached the Impala I jerked around with my machete raised but the vampires hadn't followed.

"Dad?" Dean called out as we searched the trees for any sign of John. "Dad!"

Finally, John appeared in the brush and ran up to us. We turned to haul ass out of there but John stopped us.

"They won't follow. They'll wait till tonight. Once a vampire gets your scent, it's for life."

"What the hell do we do now?" Dean asked.

"You got to find the nearest funeral home, that's what." The boys furrowed their eyebrows in confusion.

"Dead man's blood," I said remembering reading about it. "Does it actually work."

"It does. Red, go with Dean to get the blood. Sam and I will find a place to stay till night."

"Yes sir," I said and turned back to the car. Dean slid into the drivers side and we got back onto the main road. "Nearest funeral home is probably in that town we past though on the way here last night." I was looking at a map trying to decide how to get back their.

"Red, after this hunt I'm taking you back to Bobby's for a while," Dean said quietly.

"What?" I said, my head snapping up.

"If we're going to be hunting with dad and Sam it's going to be a mess for a while. I think it's better that you go to Bobby's. You shouldn't get caught up in it. It's not fair to you."

"Dean, I've been caught up in this mess since I was eighteen. Before that even. The only way I'm going back to Bobby's is if you absolutely do not want me here for your sake. I'll be fine otherwise. Besides, you may go crazy dealing with those two alone."

"You sure?" Dean asked looking over at me. "The second you decide it's too much I'll take you to South Dakota."

"I can handle a few Winchester's. It's kind of my specialty." I gave him a smirk and he couldn't contain his own.

"How would I function without you, Red?"

"You wouldn't."

We found the funeral home and snuck in through a back window. Dean led the way down a hall to the basement where the morgue was. It smelled like embalming fluids and sanitizer.

"Where do they keep the blood?" I asked. Dean found it quickly and stuffed a bottle into his pocket.

"That was easy," Dean said.

"Hands where I can see them!" we heard behind us and jerked around to see a police officer standing in the doorway with a gun pointed at us. Obviously we had tripped an alarm when opening that window.

"Son of a bitch," Dean mumbled raising his hands.

"Whoa! Whoa! This is a misunderstanding officer," I said said raising my hands and stepping towards him slowly. I stayed relaxed and acted like I belonged. "Just lower that and let us explain."

"You're not explaining anything! Stop moving." I stopped for a second and then continued and started talking again.

"Just let me get my badge out of my pocket. I can show you I'm supposed to be here." I was nearly close enough to grab his gun now. Only a few more steps.

"I don't think so sweetheart. If you were meant to be here you wouldn't have broken in through the window." The officer reached to call in backup on his radio and I grabbed his gun. Dean rushed forward and jerked the man onto the ground. I ejected the clip and slid the gun across the room while Dean secured the officer to a work table with his own cuffs.

We high tailed it out of the funeral home and left the parking lot squealing tires before the officers could call in someone to save him.

"Whoo!" Dean let out as we flew down the road. "Don't you miss it?"

"Miss what?" I asked confused watching him with a smile on my face.

"The Adventures of Dean and Red. We make a hell of a team."

"So do you and Sammy."

"Yeah but Sam questions too much. You and me get the job done. You trust me more than he does."

"Which might be why I've nearly been killed so many times."

"Hey, that time in Seattle wasn't my fault."

"And the other dozen times?"

"Not my fault you make good bait."

Sam had text me the location of the cabin they had found and I gave Dean directions. We pulled up and made our way up to the door.

"Maybe don't mention the police incident to dad?" Dean asked with his hand on the doorknob.

"Definitely not," I gulped.

"That's my girl," Dean said and kissed my forehead before opening the door.

Sam and John were sitting at a desk facing each other and I was surprised to see it looked like they weren't arguing for once. They both looked up at us when we entered.

"Man, there's some heavy security to protect a bunch of dead guys. We got passed no problem though. Experts," Dean said smoothly.

"Did you get it?" John asked ignoring the comment. Dean dug in his pocket and pulled out the bottle of blood and handed it to his dad. "You know what to do."

"I refuse to be bait," I said in the car with Sam and Dean as we went over the plan.

"Why?" Sam asked turning to face me.

"I'm always bait."

"You're the easiest target."

"You want to test that Sammy boy?"

"I mean you look the most innocent. Besides, you're use to it. You know what to do."

"Sam that's dumb," I said arguing like we use to when we were young.

"Guy's cut it out. I'll do it," Dean said speaking up. I turned to look at Dean. I assumed if I wasn't bait it would be Sam. I never expected Dean to volunteer. "Besides it's my car. I don't want you two messing anything up while you're looking under the hood."

"Alright then," Sam said. "Dean's our damsel in distress."

Dean let Sam and I out about a mile from where he pulled off. John was going to be on the other side of the road in the woods. We hiked through the woods quietly until we reached the spot where Dean had the Impala pulled over looking under the hood like he had car trouble.

We watched a girl approach him. They spoke but I couldn't hear what was being said from my spot in the woods. Dean must've said something smart because she backhanded him knocking him to the ground. More vampires approached and the girl picked Dean up by his jaw holding him up to talk to him.

"Come on," I said standing from my position behind a fallen tree.

"Not yet," Sam said stopping me. "Wait for more. We don't want to scare them off."

"Is she kissing him?" I asked squinting trying to see.

"Jealous?" Sam asked. I smacked his arm and glared at him. "Now."

We jumped up and held aimed our crossbows. The arrows dipped in dead mans blood pierced the vampires getting their attention away from Dean.

We walked out of the woods onto the road and John walked out from the opposite side. Sam and I pulled our machete's out and kept watch on the other vampires.

"Barely even stings," the vampire woman said.

"Give it time, sweetheart," John said. "That arrow's soaked in dead man's blood. It's like poison to you, isn't it?"

Her face dropped before she fainted and Dean caught her and loaded her into the back of the car. The remaining vampires were decapitated by John.

We rode into the woods and started a fire to burn a combination of herbs to mask our scent from the other vampires.

"You sure they'll come after her?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Vampires mate for life," John said while Dean and I sprinkled the ingredients into the fire. "She means more to the leader than the gun. But, the blood sickness is gonna wear off soon so you don't have much time."

"Half hour ought to do it," Sam said sliding his machete into place.

"And then I want you out of this area as fast as you can."

"Whoa, dad. You can't take care of all them yourself," Dean argued.

"I'll have her and the Colt."

"But after, we're gonna meet up, right?" Sam asked. "Use the gun together, right?" John didn't answer and instead looked away. "You're leaving again, aren't you? You still want to go after the demon alone? You know, I don't get you. You can't treat us like this."

"Like what?"

"Like children."

"You are my children. I'm trying to keep you safe." I looked between the family but when John looked at me I realized I was included in this.

"Dad, all due respect, but that's a bunch of crap," Dean said shocking John.

"Excuse me?"

"You know what Sammy, Red, and I have been hunting. Hell, you sent us on a few hunting trips yourself. You can't be that worried about keeping us safe."

"That's not the same thing, Dean."

"Then what is it? Why do you want us out of the big fight?"

"This demon, it's a bad son of a bitch. I can't make the same moves if I'm worried about keeping you alive."

"You mean you can't be as reckless."

"Look, I don't expect to make it out of this fight in one piece. Your mothers death… it almost killed me. I can't watch my children die, too. I won't."

"What happens if you die?" Dean asked but yet again John didn't answer immediately. "Dad, what happens if you die and we could have done something about it? You know I've been thinking. I think Maybe Sammy's right about this one. I think we should do this together. We're stronger as a family, dad. We just are. You know it."

"We're running out of time. You do your job, and you get out of the area. That's an order," John said and walked off.

The boys weren't happy. But we did have a job to do. We drove back to the barn and snuck back around to the hayloft door and dropped into the room. Dean signaled for me and Sam to get the people while he took out the only vampire I could see.

We filed the people out of the barn and called 911 to pick them up and ran back to the car.

"Now to find dad," Dean said flying down the road.

"There's light around the turn," I said looking through the trees. "Stop here."

We got out and grabbed the crossbows and ran through the woods. As soon as the vampires were in sight I started shooting.

Sam stepped out of the woods and was close lined by the leader. I tossed Dean my machete which he caught and turned to the leader who now had Sam around the neck. I started to raise my crossbow to see if I could get a shot but it was knocked from my hands and I was pinned against a tree before I realized what was happening.

"Don't or I'll break his neck," he hissed to Dean. "Put the blade down." Dean stood staring at the leader before letting the machete fall to the ground. "You people, why can't you just leave us alone. We have as much right to live as you do."

"I don't think so," John said standing and leveling he Colt at the vampires head. He fired the shot and the bullet connected causing the vampire to release Sam and fall to the ground.

While the vampire holding looked on shocked at his leader dying I raised my leg kneeing him in the stomach and grabbed my knife from my boot. I'd soaked it in dead man's blood and cut it across his throat. He clutched at his throat wide eyed before falling to the ground unconscious.

When I turned back to the road a car was speeding off with the remaining vampires. The Winchesters all stood in the middle of the road. I slowly walked down to the pavement, both tired and sore from the last few days.

"We can't get just a few hours of sleep before we go?" I asked as we packed our bags at the cabin.

"You can sleep in the car," Dean said throwing stuff in his bag.

"I always sleep in the damn car," I mumbled as I walked out of the cabin to load my bags. I passed John on the way out and he laid a hand on my shoulder and smiled.

"Not so fast, Red. Get the other bags out of the car. I think we're staying here a while."

I let out a relieved sigh and dropped my bags back inside the door before leaving to get the others from the Impala.

I don't know what was said while I was out at the car but apparently everything was good between the Winchesters again. Now I guess we were all working together to find the demon and kill it.


	6. Salvation

We spent the next few days putting together information and trying to find where the demon was.

John finally figured out a pattern and figured out where the demon was headed next. We packed the vehicles and headed to Salvation, Iowa.

"Hey, Red. If you want me to swing by Bobby's and drop you off I can. This isn't your fight," Dean said as we drove following John.

"Shut up, Dean. I'm coming." Sam shot a grin my way.

"Okay then. Brat."

We'd just entered Salvation when John pulled off the road. Dean pulled in behind him and we all exited the cars.

"Damn it," John cussed slamming his door.

"What is it?" Dean asked walking towards him.

"Son of a bitch."

"What is it?"

"I just got a call from Caleb."

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine. Jim Murphy's dead." The name rang a bell in my head but I couldn't quite place it with a face.

"Pastor Jim?" Sam said. John nodded.

I didn't personally know the man but I had heard about him from Sam and Dean. They had stayed with him a lot when they were younger and John was on a hunt in the south west.

"How?" Sam asked.

"Throat was slashed. He bled out." Sam and Dean both let out a sigh as they processed the information. "Caleb said they found traces of sulfur at Jim's place."

"A demon," Dean stated and John nodded. "The demon?"

"I don't know. Could be he just got careless, he slipped up. Maybe the demon knows we're getting close."

"What do we do?"

"Now we act like every second counts. There's two hospitals and a health center in this county. We split up, cover more ground. I want records. I want a list of every infant that's going to be six months old in the next week.

"Dad, that could be dozens of kids," Sam stated. "How do we know which one's the right one?"

"We check 'em all that's how. You got any better ideas?"

"No, sir."

I took the medical center with Sam while John took the children's hospital and Dean took the other. We flashed our badges to a nurse and she left to get the files of the children turning six months old this week. I sat at a table with Sam looking through them and finding nothing peculiar.

We wrote down the information and returned the files to the nurse before leaving. Sam was looking through the notebook at the list as we walked out of the building.

"This whole mess is a headache. I don't even know where to start," I said to Sam who had stopped behind me. I turned to see him holding his head. "See. Exactly what I'm talking about." He let out a gasp and clutched at his head. "Sam are you okay? Is it a vision?" He reached around to his backpack and started to dig through it.

"A train," he said to me as he pulled out a map.

"What?"

"In my vision. I heard a train."

"So the people we're looking for live near the tracks?"

"Yeah."

"Good work, Sammy," I said looking over the map with him.

"There's a neighborhood here by the tracks. Let's head over there. See if we find anything."

I followed Sam through a park towards the neighborhood. It was misting rain and the temperature was dropping. I pulled my coat tighter around me and popped the collar up to shield my neck from the wind and rain. Sam stopped walking and rubbed at his temples again. I stayed quiet and let him focus on the vision. He looked up at the house in front of us.

"Is that it?" I asked.

"Yeah, I think so," he answered then his eyes landed on a woman pushing a stroller towards the house. "That's her. The woman in my vision."

"Let's investigate then," I said grabbing his hand and walking across the street towards her.

She was struggling with holding onto the stroller and putting her umbrella away when we approached.

"Hey," I said greeting her casually.

"Here, let me hold that for you. You look like you don't need that anymore," Sam said holding onto the stroller to keep it from rolling while she closed her umbrella.

"Oh. Thanks," she said and grabbed the stroller again once her umbrella was stowed.

"She's gorgeous. Is she yours?" Sam asked peeking in at the baby.

"Yeah."

"Hey cutie," I gushed at the tiny bundle in the stroller.

"Oh sorry, I'm rude. I'm Sam and this is my wife, Robin. We just moved in up the block," Sam said holding his hand out to shake hers.

"Hi. I'm Monica. This is Rosie," the woman said politely.

"Rosie? Hi Rosie."

"So, welcome to the neighborhood."

"Thanks. She's such a good baby."

"I know, I mean she never cries. She just stares at everybody. Sometimes she looks at you and I swear it's like she's reading your mind. Do you two have any kids?"

"Oh no. Newly weds. Dealing with getting the house thing down first," I said realizing afterwards that most people probably already knew how to live in a house.

"What about you Monica? Have you lived here long?" Sam asked.

"My husband and I bought our place just before Rosie was born."

"And how old's Rosie?"

"She's six months today." Sam's eyes widened. "She's big right? Growing like a weed."

"She's too cute to be a weed," I said drawing her attention from a distracted Sam.

"Monica," Sam started.

"Yeah?"

"Just-just take care of yourself okay?"

"Yeah, you guys too. We'll see you around."

We walked on and heard a horn beep as a mini van turned into Monica's drive. She pushed the stroller up to it and a man hoped out and they embraced happily. I couldn't help but smile at the simplicity of their lives. A house, a baby, a mini van.

I turned to Sam to see him clutching his head again with a look of pain on his face. He let out a groan and gritted his teeth. I placed a hand on his back and looked up at him worried.

"Sam?" I asked when he finally snapped out of it.

"Let's get back," he said trying to catch his breath.

We found the motel we would be staying at and knocked on the door of our room. Dean answered and let us in. John sat at the table looking through the names he'd gathered.

"Where were you guys?" Dean asked.

"Looking at real-estate and considering children," I said walking past Dean to sit on a bed and peel my wet boots off.

"What?" Dean said with a disapproving look on his face.

"I had a vision. We checked it out and I think I know which kid it is," Sam said ignoring me.

"A vision?" John asked as Sam took a seat on the other bed. Dean handed me a mug of hot coffee and sat next to me.

Sam explained to John about the visions and what he saw. This was the first John had heard of Sam's visions and he didn't seem too pleased.

"When were you going to tell me about this?" John said looking between Sam and Dean.

"We didn't know what it meant," Dean said standing to refill his coffee.

"All right, something like this starts happening to your brother, you pick up the phone and you call me," John ordered Dean. Dean set the mug and coffee pot down on the counter forcefully and turned to John.

"Call you? Are you kidding me? Dad I called you from Lawrence all right? Sam call you when I was dying. I mean, getting you on the phone? I got a better chance of winning the lottery."

"You're right. Although I'm not too crazy about the new tone of yours, you're right. I'm sorry."

"Look guys," Sam spoke, "visions or no visions, fact is, we know the demon is coming tonight. And this family's gonna go through the same hell we went through."

"No they're not. No one is, ever again," John said. Dean turned back to the counter to pick up his mug and Sam's cell phone rang. I laid back on the bed as he answered it.

"Hello?… Who is this?…. Meg." I sat up and John stood walking towards Sam. "Last time I saw you you fell out of a window…" We all listened to Sam's side of the conversation and finally she asked to speak with John.

"This is John… I'm here…." We listened to John speak and I stood feeling the tenseness of the room.

By the time John had hung up the phone Meg had killed Caleb, one of John's hunting buddies, and demanded the Colt. He agreed to meet her and give it to her in exchange that she stop killing his friends.

Except John didn't intend to hand Meg the real Colt. Not when we needed it to kill the demon that killed Mary tonight. The plan was that John would go meet Meg with the fake gun and me, Sam, and Dean would stay behind to kill the demon.

"You want us to stay here, and kill this demon by ourselves?" Sam asked John.

"No Sam. I want to stop losing people we love. I want you to go to school, I want Dean to have a home. And Robin should have never been dragged into this in the first place. I want… I want Mary alive," John said fighting his emotions. "I just want this to be over.

Dean and I sat in the Impala on the way to an antique store in silence. I stared out the window biting my lip while he drove through town.

"I know you're worried about Bobby. You called him and warned him. He's prepared."

"I know. But you can't tell me Caleb wasn't prepared too."

"Robin," Dean said getting me to face him. "We have to finish this tonight. After that we'll go straight to Bobby's."

"You think this will work?"

"I hope so."

"Once we finally kill this demon, do you think you'll quit? For good?"

"I doubt it. I can't see me doing anything else but hunting. What about you? Already got plans for a house and a mini van?"

"How'd you know?" I said with a grin. He smirked back. "No. I don't know. Hunting's the only thing I'm good at. I'm not sure I could just fall into a normal life after all this."

"You should though."

"Would you come visit?"

"Probably not," Dean teased.

"Then no way. I guess I'll be stuck in the backseat of this car with you as long as you'll let me."

"That sounds naughty." I smacked Dean on the arm but it didn't keep him from laughing or erase the smile on my own face at his dumb joke.

We met Sam and John on a muddy dirt road to exchange the guns. Dean made John promise to get out if things went bad and John made us promise the same. We said our goodbyes and we knew it might be the last time we see each other.

That night we parked the Impala outside of Monica's house. I kept my phone close and my shotgun closer. We could see through the window of the house that Monica and her husband were just finishing up dinner.

The boys discussed the plan. We decided against lying and getting them out of the house for the night and instead would just go in and take the demon down when the time came.

"John should be there by now," I said glancing at the time. Dean picked up his phone and dialed his dad.

"Dad's not answering," Dean said snapping his phone shut.

"Maybe Meg was late," Sam said."Maybe cell reception's bad."

"Yeah well." We turned back to the house where the lights were now off inside. It was late and the demon should be here soon. The radio buzzed on and static filtered through the speakers.

"Dean wait. Listen," Sam said trying to tune the radio.

The wind outside picked up and the lights on the house flickered on and off. We stared out the windows of the Impala at it before jumping from the car and running towards Monica's house.

We approached the house and Dean quietly picked the lock. We stepped inside the dark home and I glanced around with my shotgun loaded with salt rounds at my side. I followed Sam farther into the front room while Dean shut the front door. I started up the stairs but stopped when I heard the yell.

"Get out of my house," the man yelled swinging a bat at Dean. He missed and smashed a lamp on a table instead. He took another swing and Dean grabbed his arms and threw him against a wall.

"Please please. Mr. Holt please," Sam said trying to calm the man down. I watched down the hall and up the stairs trying to find any sign of the demon.

"Be quiet and listen to me. Be quiet and listen," Dean said calmly to the man. "We are trying to help you."

"Charlie? Is Everything okay?" Monica said from up the stairs.

"Monica get the baby!" Charlie shouted springing everyone into action.

"Don't go in the nursery!" Sam yelled and ran past me up the stairs towards Monica.

"You stay away from her!" Charlie struggled before Dean knocked him unconscious and let him tumble to the ground.

"Get him out of here!" Dean ordered to me before he ran up the stairs after Sam. I threw my hands up at Dean's retreating form and then looked at Charlie's form heaped on the ground. How the hell am I going to get him out?

I grabbed him under the arms and started dragging him towards the door. I heard a gunshot just as I reached it and hoped it meant the demon was dead. Charlie's legs banged against the stairs as I drug him onto the lawn as the nursery window exploded in flames.

Sam ran out of the house with Monica behind him as Charlie came to. Dean came out behind them with the baby in his arms.

"You get away from my family," Charlie said starting towards Sam and Dean.

"No, Charlie, don't! They saved us!" Monica stopped him. "They saved us," she repeated and turned to take the baby from Dean. She stepped back and Charlie wrapped his arms around her protectively and she thanked us.

I turned back to the house knowing this meant the demon wasn't dead. My eyes widened when I saw the figure in the burning upstairs window and Sam and Dean saw it too.

"It's still in there!" Sam roared starting back inside. Dean stepped in front of Sam grabbing him and keeping him from continuing towards the building. "Dean let me go, it's still in there."

"No! It's burning to the ground, it's suicide," Dean commanded.

"I don't care!"

"I do!"

Sam calmed slightly. Enough for Dean to turn his back on him and look back up into the building to see the figures disappear.

We snuck off before the police and fire department arrived. The lawn was crowded with neighbors and family members of Monica's family. We drove back to the motel and drug ourselves inside without speaking.

"I need a shower," I said feeling grimy from the smoke that had rolled off the house. I grabbed my bag and walked to the bathroom while Dean tried to call John. When I turned the water off I heard yelling from the boys.

"If hunting this demon means getting yourself killed then I hope we never find the damn thing!" Dean's muffled yell filtered through the thin door.

"That thing killed Jess. That thing killed Mom!" Sam argued back. I dried off quickly and started pulling my clothes on knowing this could get heated.

"You said yourself once, that no matter what we do, they're gone, and they're never coming back."

I heard a thud as the fight started.

"Don't you say that, not you!" Sam yelled. "Not after all this don't you say that." I reached for the handle on the door to break them up but the next words from Dean were soft.

"Sam look. The four of us… that's all we have… and it's all I have," my hand dropped from the handle. "Sometimes I feel like I'm barely holding it together man… and without you and Robin, without dad…" My heart felt like it was in my stomach as listened to Dean's unsteady voice.

"Dad," Sam stated being brought back to the present. "He should have called by now. Try him again."

I decided now was a good time to reappear and grabbed my brush and stepped into the room with them. Dean had his phone raised to his ear and Sam was pacing. I pulled the brush through my hair like I hadn't heard the conversation that had just taken place.

"Where is he?" Dean hissed into the phone. My eyes jerked towards him and I saw he was looking up at Sam with a terrified look on his face. Sam met his eyes and swallowed as we all realized what had happened.


	7. Devil's Trap

Dean closed the phone. "They've got dad."

"Meg?" Sam asked and Dean nodded. "What'd she say?"

"I just told you, Sammy." Dean took breath to calm down. "Okay. Okay." He picked up the Colt and tucked it into the back of his jeans.

"What are you doing, Dean?" Sam asked. I quickly finished brushing my hair knowing we'd be leaving now.

"We got to go," Dean said throwing his stuff into his bag.

"Why?"

"Because the demon knows we're in Salvation, all right. It knows we got the Colt. It's got Dad and it's probably coming for us next," Dean said raising his voice at his brother and jerking his jacket on.

"Good. We've still got three bullets left. Let it come."

"Listen, tough guy, we're not ready, okay? We don't know how many of them are out there. Now, we're no good to anybody dead. We're leaving. Now!" Dean snapped at Sam. "Red, pack your shit. Let's go."

We were in the Impala flying down the road less than five minutes later. Dean took a turn and slid across the road sideways throwing me into the door. I rolled my eyes and steadied myself again. The brothers argued about the next move in the front seat.

"Dean, you really think these demons are going to leave a trail?" Sam asked.

"You're right," Dean said calming. "We need help." I looked up from the backseat.

"Bobby," I stated and Dean nodded.

We pulled up at Bobby's the next day. Dean had driven all night refusing to let Sam take over. I hadn't been able to fall asleep myself because of his erratic driving. Usually no matter how fast Dean is going I still feel safe with him behind the wheel. But his emotions were making him unsteady.

I got out of the Impala and went straight to the big dog sitting on top of one of the many rusted out trucks sitting around the yard. I rubbed the dog behind the ears and he wagged his tail happily.

"You been a good boy Spock?" I asked the giant Rottweiler. We'd gotten Spock right after I'd moved in with Bobby and he'd been dumb enough to let me name him.

Bobby met us at the door and I embraced my once guardian in a hug. The boys shook hands and we entered the messy house. We sat around the living room and Dean explained everything to Bobby. Sam sat at Bobby's desk reading through a book to find out what he could on the demon.

"So, we need help," Dean finished. Bobby stood and pulled some things from his desk and a few more things from a bookshelf.

"Here you go," he said handing a silver flask to Dean.

"What is this? Holy Water?"

"That one is. This is whiskey," Bobby said taking a swig from the flask. Dean looked between the flask and Bobby before Bobby handed him the whiskey and Dean took a swig himself. I smiled at the old man and Dean and wrapped my feet under me on the couch liking the feeling of home at least for a little while.

"Bobby, thanks. Thanks for everything," Dean said.

"All that matters is that you get him back," Bobby said to Dean.

"Bobby, this book," Sam said from the desk. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Key of Solomon?" Bobby said walking over to the younger brother. Dean sat down on the couch next to me and laid his arm behind me on the couch so we were side to side. "It's the real deal, alright."

"And these, uh, these protective circles. They really work?" Sam asked.

"Hell, yeah. You get a demon in, they're trapped. Powerless. It's like a Satanic roach Motel."

"Man knows his stuff," Dean said beside me.

"I'll tell you something else, too. This is some serious crap you boys stepped in."

"Oh, yeah? How's that?" Sam asked.

"Normal year, I hear of, say, three demonic possessions. Maybe four, tops."

"Yeah?" Dean voiced.

"This year I hear of 27 so far. You get what I'm saying? More and more demons are walking among us. A lot more."

"What's causing it?" I asked sitting forwards with my eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't know. But it's something big. The storm's coming, and you boys, your Daddy, you are smack in the middle of it. And of course you dragged poor Red in too."

"No dragging required, Bobby," I said rolling my eyes. Spock started barking outside and I stood while Bobby went over to the window. Dean stood behind me and I jerked with a wince when Spock stopped barking with a whine. My eyes widened as I looked at Bobby.

"Something's wrong," Bobby said backing from the window.

Bobby had barely gotten the words out before the door was busted down and Meg stood in the doorway. Dean pushed me behind him since we were only a few feet away and pulled the flask from his pocket. Meg raised her arm to sling him out of the way with her demon powers and threw me through the air with him.

I hit a bookshelf and felt my arm snap against it and something warm run down my side. I grunted trying to sit up but my head was spinning. I looked over at Dean who was shaking off the hit as well. Sam was talking to Meg and she was following him deeper into the room. My eyes focused on the ceiling where the devils trap was painted. Dean crawled from his spot on the ground and knelt next to me.

"Okay?" he whispered. I nodded and he stood walking behind Meg.

"I mean did you really think we wouldn't find you?" Meg said as she unknowingly stood trapped under the devils trap.

"Actually, we were counting on it," Dean said behind her. His eyes traveled up to the ceiling and hers followed. "Gotcha."

Sam pulled a chair up behind her and Bobby retrieved some rope from a closet. I tried to sit up and couldn't yet. I was still dizzy which was weird. I looked down and saw the blood pooling under me.

"Red?" I heard Dean ask as he came into my view.

"I'm okay."

"We've got Miss Sunshine taken care of. Go patch her up," Bobby said as he and Sam tied the demon down.

Dean nodded and picked me up. He carried me up the stairs and to the room that had been mine.

The walls were mostly covered in drawings of the monsters I'd killed and the occasional painting I'd done. One of my favorites hung over my desk of the Impala. Another of Spock the dog. Books were piled in the corners much like in Bobby's living room but neater.

Dean laid me on the bed and left to get the first aid supplies. I managed to pull myself up against the headboard while he was gone and peel my shirt back to see the cut on my left side. Dean reentered the room with bandages and the necessary tools to sew me up.

"I can handle it if you want to be there for the demon thing," I said trying to take the supplies from him weakly.

"They're going to wait until I'm done. You need to go ahead and pass out so I don't have to deal with your whining while I do this."

"You're a horrible seamstress," I said letting my head fall back and my eyes close but I was still awake.

"How'd you manage this?" he asked cleaning off the wound.

"Well, when the demon in the living room tried to knock you out of the way for being a dumbass it seems I got caught in the crossfire and hit a bookshelf. I probably just got stabbed by Excalibur or whatever else Bobby keeps in this place."

"I think you'll live," Dean said and started the stitches. "How many times am I gonna have to patch you up?"

"How many times are you going to almost get me killed?" He didn't answer immediately.

"Sorry about getting you hurt." He was being sincere when he said it and I opened my eyes to look at him. He was focusing on the stitches trying his best to make it hurt less.

"I don't actually blame you, Dean. Don't start feeling guilty." Dean let out a sigh and nodded. "But for the record. Pretty sure my arms broken too."

"Seriously?" Dean said stopping to look over my arms. I pointed to the right one with the left one and nodded. Dean ran a hand over it to feel the snapped bone and cussed. "Damn it. I can't fix this."

"Are you okay?" I asked looking him over and wondering how I had gotten broken to pieces and he seemed fine.

"A few cuts and bruises. I'm not as fragile as you."

"Oh, whatever." I hissed when he poured the alcohol on it to sanitize it without warning.

"I salted the doors and windows. If there's any demons out there they ain't getting in. How is she?" Bobby asked. I looked in the doorway to see Bobby standing there. Sam must have been watching Meg. Not like she was going anywhere.

"I broke my arm and Dean is making me look like Frankensteins bride," I said while Dean wrapped gauze around my middle.

"Broken arm?" Bobby said walking over.

"Can you fix it?," Dean asked standing.

"I got it. There's some plaster in the same closet that stuff was in. Will you get it?" Dean nodded and left. "Which one?" I pointed to my right arm again and Bobby picked it up gently feeling over the forearm where it hurt.

"Fuck!" I yelled when he suddenly reset the bone. Dean walked in the room with the plaster.

"Watch your mouth," he scolded. Dean grinned at me while he helped hand Bobby the strips of cloth soaked in plaster.

"I better not have a bum right arm from now on Bobby," I said once my arm was casted in a messy yellowish mass of hard cloth.

"Don't worry. I've done this plenty. I'm better than any doctor. Take some of these and go to sleep." Bobby handed me a few pills and I swallowed them down with a drink of water. "Dean come on. Let's get this over with." Bobby left the room wiping his hands on a rag.

"I'll be back up in a little while. Get some rest," Dean said over his shoulder as he closed the door behind him.

I wasn't sure I'd be able to go to sleep knowing they were torturing a demon in the room below me. But, as it turns out, I didn't have much say in the matter because moments after Dean shut the door I was out. A combination of the meds, blood loss, and exhaustion taking over me.

"Robin," I heard a voice say pulling me from the deep sleep. "Wake up, Red."

I opened my eyes and groaned looking up at Sam. I smiled a goofy grin at him probably as a result of the meds Bobby gave me.

"Sammy. My adorable best friend."

"I see you're feeling good."

"I don't know why Bobby gave me this. Cold medicine knocks me out for a whole day."

"I know. Broken arm, huh?" he said poking at the cast.

"Yep. You wanna sign it?"

"That's okay. Dean might though."

"He'd just write something crude on it and I'd have to get it covered up."

"You're probably right," Sam said with a smile.

"Did you find out where your dad is?"

"Yeah. Missouri. We're headed out soon."

"Okay. I'll sleep this off in the car," I said trying to sit up but Sam stopped me.

"Red, you're staying here."

"What? The hell I am."

"You've got fresh stitches in your side and a broken right arm. You'd get hurt even worse or killed."

"I'll be fine. I'm going."

"No you're not," Dean said from the doorway.

"Dean, shut up. I can handle it."

"Robin, if you go me and Sam will have to keep an eye on you the entire time. That means one of us could get hurt. You can't come."

I sighed not being able to come up with a counter. Sam grabbed my good hand and brought my attention back to him.

"We'll be back soon. You gotta stay with Bobby and help us when we need information."

"Fine," I bite out quietly.

"Go easy for a few days," Sam said and bent to hug me.

"You better be careful, Sammy. And watch after your dumbass brother."

"I will," he said and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "I'll keep you updated."

I nodded and Sam left the room passing Dean in the doorway. Dean stepped into the room and I sat up ignoring the pain in my side. Dean sat on the bed beside me.

Neither said anything for a few moments. I had spent the last three years barely leaving Dean's side as we hunted all sorts of evil. Now he and Sammy were going on one of the most dangerous hunts so far and I was stuck broken at Bobby's.

"We'll get dad back and we'll kill this demon and come straight back here."

"Yeah."

"You alright?"

"You better come back in once piece and alive, Winchester. Sammy too."

"Don't I always?" he said with a grin. "Come on. I couldn't let you down. I'll be back before the drugs wear off."

I nodded and he wrapped his arms around me tucking my head under his chin in a hug. He pulled away slightly and gave me a kiss on the forehead.

"Keep your phone close," Dean said releasing me and stood.

"Ten-four," I replied and he turned and left the room. I could hear the Impala start up and the rumble of the motor fade in the distance as they drove off. I fell back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling before getting up to help Bobby with the mess downstairs.


	8. In My Time of Dying

Bobby and I cleaned up any evidence that would lead the police to believe we killed the girl in the living room. After the body was taken away we buried Spock out by an old tow truck in the yard. I carved his name into a wooden cross and Bobby hammered it into the ground.

Sam called me three times. Once when they got to Missouri and another time after they'd found John and were holed up in a cabin.

The third phone call came the next day. It was early and I hadn't been up long. I was in the kitchen pouring me and Bobby up some coffee when my phone rang.

"Hey Sammy. You guys headed back yet?" I asked handing Bobby his mug.

"Robin. You gotta come here. I can't," Sam was talking quickly and it sounded like he was scared.

"Sam? What's going on?" I asked pausing in the doorway of the kitchen. Bobby looking on curious.

"Red, please. Sioux Falls Hospital. There was an accident. It's Dean. They don't think…"

The coffee mug slipped from my hand and my feet carried me to the entryway of the house. I pulled my boots on and my coat and grabbed the keys to a car.

"Red? What the hell is going on?" Bobby yelled coming after me.

"The boys are at the hospital Bobby! I gotta go," I said and shut the door behind me.

I sped to the hospital in the beat up car I'd borrowed from Bobby. I skidded into the parking lot and parked illegally. I ran up to the front desk and slammed into it out of breath.

"Ma'am?"

"Sam and Dean…" I paused realizing I didn't know what last name they would have used. "Two boys and their dad. Car wreck?"

"Ma'am, I'll need more information than that. Do you have a name? Young boys?"

"Twenty-seven and Twenty-three. They would've come in early this morning. Please," I said nearly shaking.

"Red!" I heard someone yell from my right and turned to see Sam coming down some stairs.

"Sammy," I breathed and ran over to him wrapping my arms around him. "John and Dean?"

"Dad is stable but…" he paused.

"Sam what about Dean?"

"They don't know. It doesn't look good and he hasn't woken up yet."

"Where is he?"

I followed Sam up the stairs and down a hall. He paused by a door then looked at me as if to make sure I was stable enough to handle it. It only managed to freak me out more. Sam stepped into the room and I followed.

Dean lay in the bed hooked up to a breathing machine and an assortment of other equipment. A cut ran across his forehead and other minor cuts and bruises littered the exposed skin.

I walked around the bed to the chair on the other side and sank into it. I looked up from Dean's unconscious form to Sam still standing in the doorway.

"What happened?"

"A demon hit us. He was driving an eighteen wheeler. Dean was already injured from the fight with the demon."

"You fought him?" I said but my voice was quiet nearly holding no interest.

"Yeah. He possessed dad." I nodded. "I'm going to go check on dad. You alright here?"

"Yeah."

Dean's POV

I had followed Sam down the stairs and saw Robin questioning the lady at the desk trying to find us. She looked awful. Ignoring the fact that she had a homemade cast on her right arm, she had fear plastered on her face and was gripping the desk with white knuckles.

"Red!" Sam yelled and approached her. Relief flooded over her face and she embraced him. There was a quick summery of mine and dads current conditions and they went up to the room where my body lay.

Robin went around the bed and grabbed my hand. I looked down at the ghost hand surprised that I could feel it. Sam explained to her what had happened and then he left to check on dad.

"You said you'd be back before the drugs wore off," she said to my unconscious form while I stood behind her. "This doesn't count, Dean."

I heard the pain in her voice and wanted to reach out and grip her hand back but all I could do was watch. She rubbed her thumb across the back of my hand closed her eyes taking in a deep breath.

"I can't fix this," she said echoing my own words about her broken arm.

"Hey, Red," Sam said reappearing in the doorway. "I got to make a run to Bobby's. You got a car here I can borrow?"

"Yeah." Robin let go of my hand leaving it feeling cold to dig in her pocket to pull out a key. She tossed it across the bed to Sam who caught it.

"You wanna come with me?"

Robin looked down at my body then back up at Sam and nodded. Sam turned and left while Red stood and bent over me to kiss me on the cheek. She followed Sam out the door and I decided to leave the room and find dad.

Red's POV

"Dean's gonna be pissed," Sam said when he saw the Impala in Bobby's yard. One whole side was smashed flat. The hood was hanging loose and the tires bent at odd angles.

"I'll get that stuff John needed," I said holding my hand out for the list Sam had. He handed it to me and I headed for the house.

I couldn't stand out there by the broken car. It reminded me too much of Dean lying in that hospital bed hurt beyond repair. Sam was right that Dean would be pissed when he saw the car in that condition. But that was only if Dean lived to see the car again.

I packed a bag with the ingredients for what John said was a spell to keep the demon away but I had never seen anything like it. When Bobby came in I handed him the list and asked him about it.

"I don't know," he said quickly. Too quickly.

"Bobby?"

"Sam's waitin on ya. Better go on."

"Right. I'll keep you posted," I said and left the house with the bag over my shoulder.

"Get everything?" Sam asked when I got in the car.

"Yeah," I said and paused. "But, Sam. I've never seen any warding spell that required that stuff."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I got curious so I looked some of the stuff up. Sam, that stuff is mostly used to summon a demon not ward it off. You don't think John…" I stopped when I noticed Sam's knuckles turn white on the wheel and the car speed up.

We got to the hospital and Sam jerked the bag out of the car and started stomping towards the building. I jogged to keep up with his long legs.

"Go check on Dean," Sam demanded.

"Sam-"

"Robin, go check on Dean," Sam said stopping me in the hallway. I nodded and turned to head towards Dean's room.

I walked in and slumped into the chair I had been in earlier.

"You Winchester's are so damn stubborn."

I sat picking at the cast on my arm waiting on Sam to show up. I jerked in surprise when one of the machines started beeping. I stood to look over them and then down at Dean.

"Damn it," I said running around the bed to the hall. "I need a doctor!" I yelled and a group of people in scrubs were running towards me. I stood in the doorway as they rushed around Dean trying to stabilize him.

"Still no pulse," I heard one of them say and my heart dropped. He was dying.

Sam rushed up beside me and looked into the room.

"Sam," I quacked. He grabbed me and we both stood in the doorway watching them try to bring Dean back.

They had the paddles out trying to shock his heart back into rhythm. When that didn't work they switched to CPR. Suddenly the machines calmed and his pulse started up again. I let out a sigh of relief and Sam did the same.

"Can you feel that?" Sam asked looking down the hall at something. I followed his gaze but didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"Feel what?" I asked.

"I just… thought I saw him."

"Saw who? The demon?" I said slipping from under Sam arm.

"No. Dean."

"Sam what are you talking about? Dean's right there," I said pointing in the room where the nurses were now dispersing.

"No, I mean. I dunno. It was weird."

A doctor walked up to us from Dean's room and told us he was stabilized now. They were still looking into what caused it but they would let us know as soon as they did.

"Why don't you go get that arm looked at by a real doctor?" Sam said pointing to my bulky cast. "I'm going to go talk to dad."

"Fine," I said and left to ask the lady at the desk where I could get an X-Ray done.

The wait was pretty long but I finally had my arm looked at and my homemade cast cut off and a new, slimmer one put on. I had a hell of a time explaining to the doctor that I had been camping way out in the woods when I broke it and my crazy uncle insisted on wrapping it up with some plaster he kept in the truck.

Next I decided to stop by John's room since I had been wandering around the hospital nearly all day and hadn't seen him once since the accident. He was sitting in his room with his eyes unfocused on the TV.

"John?" I said knocking on the doorframe.

"Red! Come in darlin."

"How are you feeling?" I asked pulling up the chair by his bed.

"Like I got hit by an eighteen wheeler. What happened to you?" he asked pointing to my cast.

"Oh this? That's old news. Meg threw me into a bookshelf. Which is why I wasn't there…"

"Robin don't. You couldn't have stopped this."

"Yeah. I guess."

"I suppose Sammy is running himself crazy trying to find a way to save Dean."

"I don't even know where to start."

"Dean will be fine," John said confidently.

"John he almost died again an hour ago. You can't tell me he's getting better," I said and felt my eyes sting.

"Robin, I took you in when you were nothing but a kid. A dumb, naive orphan," John bite out.

"What the hell does that mean?" I snapped having enough of John's military attitude.

"It was one of the best decisions I ever made. You've looked out for Dean and Sammy more than I ever could."

"Well, thanks for the inspirational speech, John, but now really isn't the time to give me a pick me up. If you want to make me feel better then help Dean."

"That's my point."

"What?"

"Just keep looking out for them for me, okay Red?" he said almost sadly. I rolled my eyes at his off subject speech.

"What else am I gonna do?" He smiled at me and his eyes shifted back to the TV. "Well I'm gonna go find Sam."

"I'll see ya, Red," John said quietly.

"Yeah. I'll bring you some real food later."

I walked to Dean's room where I assumed Sam probably was. He was standing from the floor where a Ouija board lay.

"There's gotta be a way," he was saying to himself.

"Sam?" I asked from the doorway looking at the board on the ground.

"Red, we gotta get to dad's room. I'll explain there," Sam said grabbing my arm as he passed and leading me back to John's room.

"What is it? Was it Dean? Did you talk to him?"

"Dad," Sam started when we turned the corner of his room. My eyebrows furrowed when I saw the empty bed.

"He was just here. I was just talking to him," I told Sam. Sam ran into the room and grabbed John's journal off the desk and then walked past me back towards Dean's room.

Sam sat down on the edge of Deans bed and opened the journal flipping through it. I stared at him from the doorway completely lost.

"Hey. So Dad was't in his room. But I got his journal, so who knows? Maybe there's something here," Sam spoke.

"Are you talking to Dean?" I asked with a raised eyebrow looking around the room.

"Yeah. Just give me a minute," he said holding up his hand to me while he looked through the book. He sighed and laid the book aside. "I can't find a way to stop it."

I walked over and looked down at the book. 'Reapers.'

"It's a reaper?" I asked Sam who nodded. "I'll call Bobby. See if he can find anything." Sam stood and walked around to stand by the bed looking down at Dean. I left the room and dialed Bobby's number.

"Hey Bobby," I said once he answered. "You have any idea how to stop a reaper?"

"What in hells name are you talking about?"

"Sam talked to Dean through a board. Apparently there's a reaper after him. We can't find John and there's nothing in his journal on how to stop it."

"You can't find John?"

"Yeah, he's gone out for coffee or something. Can you help us?"

"Well, Red, I'm afraid John might be dealing with it already."

"What?"

"That stuff you picked up from here? It's for a summoning spell."

"Yeah. I already figured that out."

"I think John's gonna make a deal."

"To save Dean?"

"You need to find John. Any deals with a demon isn't good. I'll see what I can find on reapers."

"Okay. Thanks, Bobby." I hung up the phone and reentered Dean's room. "Sam, have you tried calling your dad?"

"Why?"

"Cause I think-" I didn't get to finish because Dean jerked awake at that moment gasping for breath.

"Dean?" Sam said and I rushed over to the bed where Dean was now struggling against the tube in his throat. "Help! I need help!"

Sam and I were pushed out of the room while a few nurses and the doctor started on Dean. They removed the tube and started looking over the monitors around him.

"What the hell just happened?" Sam asked. I stared at Dean surrounded by nurses knowing what must've happened. I just hoped John was okay but I couldn't bring myself to leave yet and find him.

Dean was given medication to make him sleep and test were run on him to see if he was okay. The nurses said the test results wouldn't be in until the morning and Dean would probably sleep for a few more hours.

"I'm going to go find John. If you need me call, okay?" I said and walked down the hall to John's room. He still wasn't back. I tried his cell but no answer. I walked down to the cafeteria and asked a few nurses if they'd seen him but no luck. I tried his cell again.

"This is John. Leave a message."

"John. Where the hell are you?" I said into the phone as I stood in an empty waiting area. "Dean woke up but I'm guessing you already knew that. This is why you were talking like you were earlier. You better not be dead John Winchester." I hung up and headed back to Dean's room.

Sam sat beside Dean's bed looking down at his phone. I pulled up a chair beside him and sat down.

"Where's dad?"

"I couldn't find him."

"What? Where the hell could he be?"

"Sammy," Dean groaned out from the bed. Sam and I both stood and moved by Dean.

"Dean, hey hey. It's okay. We're right here," Sam said trying to calm Dean who was looking around wildly.

"What the hell happened? Am I in a hospital?" Sam and I looked at each other.

"You don't remember?" Sam asked.

"No. I remember dad getting possessed. Coming back to Bobby's."

"We never made it to Bobby's. We got hit by a demon. You were in pretty rough shape."

"Dad?"

"He's okay. He's just fine." Dean nodded and then realization crossed his face.

"Wait. We got hit? My baby?" Dean asked talking about the Impala. Sam looked down and Dean's gaze shot to me.

"She's gonna need some work, Dean."

"Son of a bitch," he said letting his head fall back onto the pillows.

"You hungry?" Sam asked.

"God, yes," Dean said, his mood increasing slightly at the mention of food.

"I'll go get us something. You want anything, Red?"

"I'm fine," I said feeling too sick worrying about John and Dean to think about eating. Sam left and I brought a chair over next to Dean's head and sat down.

"So how bad was I really?"

"You nearly died. A few times actually."

"The doctors fixed me right? You and Sam didn't do anything stupid, did you?"

"Nope. We tried but we couldn't figure anything out."

"Good. I don't think I could handle another faith healer."

The next morning, I walked in from staying the night at Bobby's and Sam's giant form was laid over one of the small chairs asleep. Dean was awake flipping through channels on the TV.

"Adorable," I said looking at Sam. I laid the bag down I had with me that contained clothes and necessities for both Sam and Dean.

"Isn't he though?" Dean said before he threw a plastic fork at Sam causing him to jerk away swatting at the air in front of him.

"It is so good to have you back," Sam said in a tired voice.

"By the way what's with the Ouija board?" Dean asked pointing to the box sitting on the dresser.

"Oh, uh," Sam started. "When you were unconscious you kind of talked to me."

"What?"

"You used the board to tell me a reaper was after you."

"Good morning," the doctor said entering the room behind me. He pulled out a clipboard. "Your test results are in." Sam stood and I walked over beside him. "I can't explain it. The edema's vanished. The internal contusions are healed. Your vitals are good. You have some kind of angel watching over you."

"Thanks, doc," Dean said and the doctor nodded at us and left. "So you said a reaper was after me?"

"Yeah."

"How'd I ditch it?"

"You got me. Dean, you really don't remember anything?"

"No. Except this pit in my stomach. Sam, something's wrong." I had a similar feeling in my stomach. I didn't know how to tell Sam and Dean that I suspected their dad was behind this and if he made a deal with the demon like I thought then he might not be coming back.

A knocked sounded on the door and I looked up and breathed a sigh of relief to see John standing there.

"How you felling, dude?" John asked Dean.

"Fine, I guess. I'm alive."

"That's what matters."

"Where were you last night?" Sam said angrily.

"I had some things to take care of." I eyed him suspiciously.

"Well, that's specific."

"Come on, Sam," Dean said not wanting an argument.

"Did you go after the demon?"

"No," John answered with a shake of his head.

"You know, why don't I believe you right now?"

"Can we not fight? You know, half the time we're fighting, I don't know what we're fighting about. We're just butting heads. Sammy, I, I've made some mistakes. But I've always done the best I could. I just don't want to fight anymore, okay?"

"Dad, are you all right?" Sam asked surprised by his fathers speech. I realized it was a lot like the one he'd given me yesterday.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm just a little tired. Hey, son, would you, uh, would you mind getting me a cup of caffeine?"

"Yeah. Yeah, sure," Sam said and looked between John and Dean before leaving. I followed him knowing John wanted to talk to Dean alone.

"Hey, I'm gonna step outside and call Bobby. Let him know your dad's back," I said to Sam and stepped outside the doors of the hospital.

When I reentered the hospital and started down the hall I saw nurses running into John's room. I started walking towards the room slowly confused. Sam stepped out of the room distraught.

"Sam?" I asked running up to him and looking in the room. John lay on the floor and nurses and doctors surrounded him.

"Robin! Go get Dean," Sam said as tears fell down his face. I took off down the hall and turned into Dean's room. He sat staring at his lap in thought.

"Dean!" I said running over and began disconnecting him from the machines monitoring his heart.

"Red? What the hell are you doing?" Dean asked watching me like I was a nut. I jerked the sheets back and began pulling him from the bed.

"It's your dad. Come on." He sprang from the bed and limped ahead of me down the hall. He met Sam in the doorway and I stopped short realizing what happened. John had made a deal and now the demon was taking his half of it.

"It's our dad. It's our dad!" Dean argued when a nurse tried to push them out. I slowly walked towards them listening to the nurses inside.

"Stop compressions."

"Still no pulse."

"Okay, that's it."

"I'll call it. Time of death: 10:41 am," I heard the doctor say.


	9. Everybody Loves A Clown

Ellen and Jo get introduced in this episode but since I love Jo so much and since I don't want her and Red feuding over the whole Dean thing I made Jo a boy.

Don't own Supernatural.

* * *

I had the boys settled back down in Dean's room and I handled everything with the hospital concerning John. I managed to get Dean checked out early and headed back down to his room with some papers in my hand I was probably supposed to keep up with.

"Everything's taken care of. Dean's checked out so we can go whenever you guys are ready."

"What about…" Sam started and cleared his throat. "What about the body?"

"Bobby's taking John to his place. Proper hunters funeral and all," I said feeling uncomfortable talking about it. It didn't feel right that John was dead. Sam was devastated and Dean was mostly silent showing no emotion about anything.

"Yeah. Of course. Come on Dean. Let's get out of here," Sam said standing and grabbing his bag.

Dean stood grabbing his own bag and throwing it over his shoulder and left the room looking nowhere but straight ahead. I looked at Sam and he smiled at me sadly.

"Thanks, Robin. For taking care of all that," Sam said gesturing to the papers in my hand.

"Of course. It's no problem, Sammy," I said walking out with him.

The ride to Bobby's was silent. I sat in the backseat while Sam drove since Dean technically wasn't allowed to drive yet. Bobby was on his way to the hospital to pick up John's body and would meet us at the house later. I didn't quite know what I was going to do with the grieving brothers until then.

"Where's the car?" Dean asked once we were inside.

"Around back," Sam answered.

Dean dropped his bag by the couch and left the house without another word. Sam sighed and took a seat on the couch burying his face in his hands. I moved to the kitchen and started pulling things from the refrigerator and cabinets for BBQ sandwiches. I fixed three plates with sandwiches and chips and brought one over to Sam with a beer.

"Thanks. Your favorite," he said with a small smile.

"There's a difference between my favorite and the only thing I can properly cook. But their not so bad," I smirked in an attempt to lighten the mood. Sam nodded and opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out and he just nodded again. I went back to the kitchen grabbing another plate and beer and went out the back door walking towards the smashed Impala.

Dean sat in the drivers seat staring out the missing windshield. I paused not knowing how to approach him. Finally I walked up to the door in a wide arch so I wouldn't surprise him but he didn't look up.

"Brought you some food. I'm not making any promises but I hope it's better than that stuff from the hospital." Still no answer. "Dean, you should eat something."

Dean jerked suddenly and knocked the plate from my hand sending the sandwich and chips to the ground and twisted to glare up at me.

"Damn it, Robin! I'm not hungry! Leave me the hell alone for five fucking minutes," he yelled fuming. My face hardened and I considered punching him in the nose but thought better of it since he had a right to be upset.

"When you get hungry let me know," I said calmly and left.

I walked back in the house with a scowl still on my face and grabbed my own plate and beer and sat by Sam.

"What happened?" he asked noticing.

"Nothing. The Gilmore Girls? Really Sammy?" I asked noticing the TV.

"It's what was on when I turned the TV on," Sam said with a shrug.

"Which is even worse cause it means Bobby's been watching it."

I sat watching bad television with Sam until we heard Bobby pull up and we stood to go meet him outside.

"We can handle it if you wanna stay here," I told him.

"No. I'm fine."

We met Bobby at the truck and Dean walked around the house too. John's body was in a body bag and the the boys and Bobby carried him inside. I went back outside with Bobby to give the boys some time alone and sat on the tailgate of his truck.

"How are you holding up, Red?"

"I'm good," I said like it was obvious.

"Don't give me that bull. Just because he wasn't your father doesn't mean you don't have the right to be upset too."

"Sam and Dean don't need me to be upset right now."

"Whether or not you're upset isn't really something you can choose," Bobby said crossing his arms.

"It's just I don't really have a lot of people left. You, the boys, and John are really it. And now I've got one less."

That night we burned John on a hill behind Bobby's. I stood around the fire with Sam, Dean, and Bobby clenching my jaw against the tears. Bobby nudged me indicating we should head back to let Sam and Dean have some time and I nodded.

I walked past Sam and his red eyes met mine. His face was wet with tears and his lower lip trembled. I walked up to him and he grabbed me in a hug as soon as I was in reach. He buried his face in my hair and it reminded me of when Jessica died. We'd sat on the hood of the Impala while their apartment burned in a similar fashion. I held him tight not saying anything. I knew how to comfort my best friend.

Dean, however, was another story. He still hadn't spoken to me and I didn't try to talk to him again. He mourned in a different way from Sam. I hadn't seen Dean in situations like this much and I wasn't entirely sure how to handle it.

Sam finally let go of me and I gave him a smile and wiped the tears off his cheeks. I glanced at Dean who was staring into the fire unmoving. Bobby and I headed back to the house and I went to my room.

It'd been four days since we burned John. I spent most of my time trying to find anything I could about the demon and figure out John's research. Sam sat at the kitchen table with a pile of John's phones trying to find anything useful on them. Dean barely stepped away from the Impala that he'd been working on endlessly to get it fixed up again.

Sam sighed and snapped another phone shut frustrated. He stood from his spot in the chair across from me and stretched before walking to the refrigerator.

"I'm gonna make a run for beer. You want anything?" Sam asked grabbing his jacket and the keys to a car.

"Nah. I'm good," I said. "As long as we have plenty of coffee."

"Then I better get some of that too. I'll be back."

Sam left and I went back to the headache of notes and articles in front of me. I had my own notebook beside all of it where I would write down the stuff I had translated from John's language into mine. I hadn't gotten far. I heard the back door open and assumed it was Bobby.

"Sam went to get beer and coffee. And if you loved me you'd start a pot with what's left in that can," I said not raising my head.

"Yes your majesty," Dean said behind and my eyes widened. I turned around and he was scooping out the remaining coffee grains into the coffee maker.

"Thought you were Bobby," I said going back to the research.

"Of course you did. Otherwise you wouldn't talk to me." I looked up at him again and calculated if four days was a long enough time to mourn and if it was okay to punch him yet. "Listen, Red. I'm sorry."

"Huh?" I asked when he sat down across from me.

"I was a complete ass the other day. I know you miss him too. And you've been amazing these past few days anyway even if I haven't."

"Dean,"

"Red, just let me finish this damn apology." I nodded. "You don't have to be here. But you are. You always are. And I think I take you for granted and honestly you should probably just punch me."

"It's been considered."

"Point is, I'm sorry. And I'm hungry. So, fix me a damn sandwich."

"You need to work on your apologizing skills," I said but stood and started pulling out stuff for a sandwich anyway.

"You love it," he mumbled.

I slide the sandwich to him with a mug of coffee when I was done. I took my seat across from him again and went back to my notes.

"You getting anywhere with that?" he asked with his mouth full.

"Nowhere useful. I feel like my heads going to explode but I've already taken way over the recommended pill consumption on the bottle."

"Come help me with the car for a while."

"You mean hand you screwdrivers when you need them and change the station when a shitty song comes on?"

"Exactly. Without Spock there isn't anyone out there to keep me company."

"So I'm just a replacement for my dead dog?"

"I dunno about replacement. That was a good dog. But you'll do."

"I still might punch you."

After that things between me and Dean were mostly normal again. He still refused to talk about John and he seemed uncomfortable around Sam which I didn't quite understand yet. But, it was progress.

It was early morning and I was in the kitchen with Sam working on research again. Dean was outside dealing with the car. It had been one week since we said our fair wells to John.

"Have you ever heard of an Ellen?" Sam asked.

"What like DiGenerous?"

"No. Someone dad knew. There's a message on this phone. It's four months old from a woman named Ellen. Listen."

"John, it's Ellen. Again. Look, don't be stubborn, you know I can help you. Call me," the message said.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"I don't know. And I don't know who Ellen is."

"Trace her phone number."

"Good idea," Sam said and started typing on his computer. "Got it. I'll go tell Dean. Ask Bobby if we can borrow a car."

Sam ran out of the house and I went to find Bobby. He was in a garage out back under a car that was up on a lift. He was on the phone with someone and cussing at them for something stupid they'd done on a hunt. I felt for them since I had been on their end of the phone call before a few times. Bobby saw me and ended the conversation and hung up.

"Hey, Sam found a message on one of John's phone's that we think might be a lead. It's from a woman named Ellen. Ring any bells?"

"Ellen. I've heard of her. Owns a bar up in Nebraska."

"Okay. What else?"

"That's all I know."

"That's all you know or that's all you're going to tell me?" I asked and Bobby didn't answer. "Right. Can we borrow a car?"

"Yeah. I'll need my car so you can use the van. It's the only other thing running."

"Seriously?" I asked with a slight snarl.

"Yeah. Seriously princess. If you don't like it you can walk to Nebraska."

The drive to Nebraska in the old mini van wasn't fun. The air didn't work and only the front windows rolled down. The speakers on the right side were broken and the entire thing smelled like cat pee.

"This is humiliating," Dean said as we finally pulled up at the address Sam had found. The building was a bar like Bobby had said and the sign on the front said, 'Harvelle's Roadhouse.'

We got out of the van and walked up looking through the windows and calling out to see if anyone was inside. When no one answered Dean picked the lock on the front door and we went inside.

It looked like I had expected a bar in the middle of nowhere to look. A little worn and dated. A pool table sat in the back and lounging on it was a body.

"Hey, buddy?" Sam called out towards him but he didn't stir. "I'm guess that isn't Ellen."

"Is it dead?" I asked looking on from a distance. Dean shot me a look and I shrugged.

Sam walked into a back room and Dean and I looked around the bar area. I started towards the door Sam had gone in to see what was in there when Dean's voice stopped me.

"Oh god, please let that be a rifle," he said causing me to turn around and see a teenage boy standing behind him with a gun held to Dean's back. The boy cocked the gun and Dean's eyes met mine. I gave him a slight nod letting him know it was nothing to worry about.

"Don't either of you move," the boy demanded.

"Not moving, copy that. You know, you should know something, kid," Dean spoke. "When you put a rifle on someone, you don't want to put it right against their back. Because it makes it real easy to do…" Dean turned grabbing the gun from the guy and ejecting the round. "That."

I let out a yelp of surprise when the boy socked Dean in the nose and grabbed the gun back pointing it towards us again, this time farther back.

"Sam!" Dean yelled. "Need some help in here." I raised my hands up by my side staring at the kid wide eyed. "I can't see, I can't even see." I fought the urge to laugh at Dean as he held his nose still shocked this happened. This kid had knocked the daylights out of him.

"Sorry, Dean, I can't right now. I'm a little tied up," Sam said behind me walking through the door. I turned around to see a woman following him out with a pistol pointed at his head.

"Sam? Dean?" she asked. "Winchester?"

"Yeah," both the boys said simultaneously.

"Son of a bitch."

"Mom, you know these guys?" the boy asked.

"Yeah, I think these are John Winchester's boys," the woman said lowering her gun and laughing. "That makes you Red, right?" I nodded slowly. "Hey, I'm Ellen. This is my son Joe."

Joe lowered his rifle and Dean turned back to the kids still holding his nose.

"You're not gonna hit me again, are you?"

"Come on. Sit down. I'll get you some ice for that," Ellen said leading us to the bar and putting her gun away. Joe followed laying the rifle down behind the counter.

"Red?" Joe asked standing behind the bar across from me.

"Yeah."

"That your real name?"

"Robin."

"Red Robin! Like the restaurant. Yum," he said letting his eyes travel down my body. My face was unammused when he looked up again.

"Here you go," Ellen said handing Dean a towel with ice in it.

"Thanks. You called our dad, said you could help. Help with what?"

"Well, the demon, of course. I heard he was closing in on it."

"What, was there an article in the Demon Hunters Quarterly that I missed? I mean, who are you? How do you know about all this?"

"Hey, I just run a saloon. But hunters have been known to pass through now and again. Including your dad a long time ago. John was like family once."

"Oh yeah? How come he never mentioned you before?"

"You'd have to ask him that."

"So, why exactly do we need your help?"

"Hey, don't do me any favors. Look, if you don't want my help, fine. Don't let the door smack your ass on the way out. But John wouldn't have sent you if… He didn't send you. He's all right, isn't he?" The boys looked between each other.

"No. No, he isn't," Sam said. "It was the demon, we think. It, um, it just go him before he got it, I guess."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. We're all right," Dean said and I willed Ellen to stop talking about it in my mind.

"Really? I know how close you and your dad were." _Oh please shut up._

"Really, lady, I'm fine."

"So look," Sam said interrupting them, "if you can help, we could use all the help we can get."

"Well, we can't. But Ash will."

"Who's Ash?"

"Ash!" Ellen yelled. The man on the pool table jerked up whipping his mullet through the air as he looked around wildly.

"What? Is closin' time?" he asked confused.

"That's Ash?" I asked staring at the man wearing torn off sleeves and dirty boots.

"Mm-hmm. He's a genius," Joe said smiling at me.

"Get over here Ash. Give these people a hand," Ellen said leaving to go to the back room again.

"What do you need?" Ash asked taking a seat at the bar.

"Red?" Sam said and I pulled the folder from my bag and slid it over to Ash.

"You've gotta be kidding me, this guy's no genius. He's a Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie," Dean complained.

"I like you," Ash said smiling.

"Thanks."

"Just give him a chance," Joe said. Dean sighed and opened the folder.

"All right. This stuff's about a year's worth of our dad's work, so uh, let's see what you make of it." Ash started pulling papers out to look at.

"You wanna take a shot with me?" Joe asked me.

"Are you even old enough to drink?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. Sam was staring on amused and Dean was all but glaring at the kid.

"I'm 19. That's old enough in Europe."

"You're in Nebraska," I remarked.

"Come on," Ash said looking at the papers. "This crap ain't real. There ain't nobody can track a demon like this."

"Our dad could," Sam said.

"There are non-parametrics, statistical overviews, projects and correlations, I mean.. damn! They're signs. Omens. Uh, if you can track 'em, you can track this demon. You know, like crop failures, electrical storms. You ever been struck by lightening? It ain't fun." I shared a curious look with Dean.

"Can you track it or not?"

"Yeah, with this, I think so. But it's gonna take time, uh, give me… fifty one hours," Ash said rambling off the very exact amount of time.

Ash stood to leave and I left the bar going to sit at a table by the window. Joe walked over and sat a beer in front of me taking a seat across from me.

Joe was cute. He was kind of a pretty boy but had muscled arms like he worked out. His blonde hair was styled perfectly and he knew his smile worked on the ladies. Almost like a younger Dean Winchester.

"How did your mom get into this stuff?" I asked him taking a drink of the beer.

"From my dad. He was a hunter. He passed away."

"I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago. I was just a kid. Sorry to hear about John."

"Yeah," I said simply rotating the bottle in my hand.

"So, I guess you've got fifty one hours to waste. Maybe tonight we should, uh," Joe stopped talking and his eyes traveled up behind me. A chair pulled out beside me and Dean sat down staring at Joe intimidatingly. "Never mind."

"What?" I said with a flirty smile.

"Nothing, just, uh, wrong place, wrong time."

While we gave Ash his 51 hours we went on a hunt Ellen had prepared at the Roadhouse. It involved a killer clown and we had to ditch the van after a bad encounter with an unhappy family in their home.

Now we were sitting at the bar at the Roadhouse. Ellen congratulated us on finishing the job and handed us all a beer. Joe walked over and leaned against the bar in front of me.

"Think you'll be coming back 'round here Red Robin?" he asked winking.

"I dunno. Depends on how good of a job your friend Ash does on this research. Plus I think he's kinda cute. I think it's the whole genius thing," I said. Joe's smile slipped slightly and Dean chuckled into his beer beside me.

"Where you guys been? Been waiting for ya," Ash said coming through the door from the back room as if he had heard himself be mentioned.

"We were working a job, Ash. Clowns?:

"Clowns? What the-" Ash said looking at us as if it was the most fucked up thing he'd ever heard.

"You got something for us, Ash?" Dean asked. Ash set his laptop down on the bar. It was an odd thing, probably homemade, with wires running across it everywhere.

"Did you find the demon?" Sam asked.

"It's nowhere around. At least, nowhere I can find. But if this fugly bastard raises his head, I'll know. I mean, I'm on it like Divine on dog cookie."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, any of those signs or omens appear, anywhere in the world, my rig'll go off. LIke a fire alarm."

"Ash, where did you learn to do all this?"

"M.I.T. Before I got bounced for… fighting." I stared at Ash with my eyebrows raised.

"M.I.T.?" Sam asked.

"It's a school in Boston," Ash explained like it wasn't a big deal.

"Okay. Give us a call as soon as you know something?" Dean said standing.

"Si, si, compadre." I smiled at Ash. It was hard not to like this guy.


	10. Bloodlust

A couple of days later we were at Bobby's again. I had been doing some research to find us a case. I was bored without the demon thing to work on. Ash had that covered for us. Now I sat looking through the weird section of newspapers and websites.

Dean walked in the house with a slight smile on his face and covered in grease and dirt.

"You need a shower. You look disgusting," I said snarling at him.

"Oh yeah?" he said and walked over to me pulling me up from my chair and wrapping my in his nasty arms.

"Dean!" I said trying to push him away.

"You wanna join me? Cause you look pretty disgusting yourself," he said with a wink.

"What's gotten into you?" I asked once he released me.

"Is that a yes?"

"No. It's not."

"My baby is all finished except for the paint. She's looking good."

"Good. We're gonna need her for our next job," I said holding up the article I had decided on. Dean took it from me and looked it over.

"Decapitation. I like it."

"Figured you would. When will the car be ready?"

"We'll leave tomorrow," Dean said and hurried off I assume to finish the car.

The next day I was in the back seat of the Impala again. Dean had fixed her up to be good as new. I was impressed. It was shiny and the metal was smooth again like it had never been wrecked in the first place.

"Whoo! Listen to her purr! Have you ever heard anything so sweet?" Dean said over ACDC playing through the speakers.

"You know, if you two wanna get a room, just let us know, Dean," Sam said.

"Oh, don't listen to him, baby. He doesn't understand us."

"You're in a good mood."

"Why should't I be?"

"No reason."

"Got my car, got a case, things are looking up."

"Wow. Give you a couple of severed heads and a pile of dead cows and you're Mister Sunshine."

"How far to Red Lodge?"

"Uh, about another three hundred miles," Sam said looking at the map.

"Good," Dean said and floored the Impala. I leaned my head back and let the open windows wrap my hair in the wind.

Once we arrived in Red Lodge, Montana we started investigating. We asked the police chief questions and then went to a local bar to see what we could find.

Sam and Dean went up to the bartender and I walked in a moment later taking a seat at a table as if I was alone. I watched the occupants of the bar while Sam and Dean questioned the bartender to see if anyone acted strange as they listened to the conversation.

Sure enough a man sitting at one of the tables was listening in and when he'd heard what he needed to hear he got up and left the bar just before the boys turned to leave also. I followed them out and saw the man duck behind a truck watching them. I caught up to them.

"Five o'clock," I muttered indicating that the man was behind us and to our right. "Behind the truck." Sam and Dean kept walking but I knew they heard me.

The boys headed down an alley and I walked down the front of a building keeping tabs on their follower. He snuck down the alley a little after them. A moment later I could hear them talking.

"What do you know about vampires?" I heard Sam ask him.

"How to kill them. Now seriously, bro. That knife is making me itch," the man said and I turned the corner to see Sam had him pinned to the wall and Dean had a knife to his throat. When he saw me walk up he tried to turn but Sam pushed him harder into the wall.

"Hey," Dean snapped bringing his attention back to them.

"Whoa. Easy there, Chachi," the guy said and slowly brought his hand up to pull his lip back. "See? Fangless. Happy?"

The boys looked at each other and let up on the man who looked between all three of us.

"Now," he said, "who the hell are you?"

"We're hunters," Sam said backing away.

"Alright. Me too. Names Gordon Walker. And you are?"

"Dean Winchester. This is my brother Sam and our friend Red," Dean said gesturing to me and Sam in turn.

"Well, I'll be damned," the man said smiling. The man led us to his car he had parked out back. He pulled out a rolling shelf from behind the seat in his car that held his weapons.

"Sam and Dean Winchester. I can't believe it. You know I met your old man once? Hell of a guy. Great hunter. I heard he passed. I'm sorry. It's big shoes. But from what I hear you guys fill 'em. Great trackers, good in a high spot. Your girl here seems to be quite sneaky herself." Gordon gave me a smile that made my skin crawl and my eyes narrowed.

"You seem to know a lot about our family," Dean remarked.

"Word travels fast. You know how hunters talk."

"No, we don't actually."

"I guess there's a lot your dad never told you, huh?" This statement seemed to bother Dean.

"So, um, so those two vampires, they were yours, huh?" Sam said talking about the decapitations.

"Yep. Been here two weeks."

"Did you check out that Barker farm?" Dean asked.

"It's a bust. Just a bunch of hippie freaks. Though they could kill you with that patchouli smell alone."

"Where's the nest then?"

"I got this one covered. Look, don't get me wrong. It's a real pleasure meetin' you fellas. But I've been on this thing over a year. I killed a fang back in Austin, tracked the nest all the way up here. I'll finish it."

"We could help."

"Thanks, but uh, I'm kind of a go-it-alone type of guy."

"Come on, man, I've been itching for a hunt."

"Sorry. But hey, I hear there's a Chupacabra two states over. You go ahead and knock yourselves out." Gordon got into his car and shut the door before turning to speak to us again. "It was real good meeting you, though. I'll buy you a drink on the flip side."

We watched Gordon drive off.

"He's a dick," I said simply.

"You just met him," Dean argued.

"We going after him?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Let's go."

We followed Gordon to an old mill in the industrial part of town. He hadn't noticed us and I'm not sure if that meant he wasn't observant enough to notice a tail or if Dean was just really good at following people.

We got there in time to see Gordon fighting a vampire on an upper deck of the mill. We ran up some stairs and Sam barely pulled Gordon out from under a saw before the vampire cut him in half.

I picked up a metal pike and threw it to Dean who was now fighting with the vampire. He caught it and knocked the vampire back onto the saw table before stabbing him with it. Then Dean reached up and grabbed the saw bringing it down on the vampires neck and severing his head from his shoulders spraying blood onto Dean's face.

I winced at the gruesome scene but honestly I'd seen worse. Dean cut the saw off and turned towards us.

"So, uh, I guess I gotta buy you that drink," Gordon said still catching his breath.

We followed Gordon back to the bar we had originally met him at. I pulled a bandana out of my bag and handed it to Dean. He wiped at his face to get the blood off.

"That it?" he asked turning for me to look. I grabbed the bandana from him and wiped what he'd missed from his neck. "Thank, Red."

"You okay, Sammy?" I asked Sam who sat in the passenger seat quiet.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Relax, Sammy," Dean said slapping Sam on his chest. "We're taking a night off. Enjoy it."

We sat around a table in the smokey bar. I knew Sam didn't exactly trust Gordon and I completely agreed. On top of that he would have died if we hadn't showed up. I sat close to Sam drinking my beer.

"So you two a hunting couple?" Gordon said gesturing between me and Sam.

"Hell no," Dean answered for us. Me and Sam both looked at him with a raised eyebrow at his quick answer. "We've known Red since we were kids. She's like family."

"Oh really?" Gordon asked smiling at me.

"I'm gonna go pee," I said and left the table.

Dean's POV

Robin and Sam sat across the table from me. Neither seemed to trust this new Gordon guy much. I hadn't found any reason not to trust him yet besides the fact that he'd been stupid going in on that hunt alone. He had said he knew dad and he seemed to have respect for him so that was enough for me.

"So you two a hunting couple?" I heard Gordon ask Sam and Red.

"Hell no," I answered for them before taking a drink of my beer. Sam and Red both sent me curious looks. "We've known Red since we were kids. She's like family." I explained with a shrug.

"Oh really?" Gordon gave Red a smile and my eyes narrowed slightly.

"I'm gonna go pee," Red said unaffected by Gordon and stood and left. I watched her ass as she left but when I looked up I noticed Gordon was too. I set my beer down and my smile faded as I glared at him.

"So, uh, I guess since neither of you guys have a claim on little Red Riding Hood, you think I could-," Sam and I didn't let Gordon finish.

"No!" we both said. Sam had said it almost disgusted that someone would talk about Robin that way but there had been anger in my voice.

"Okay, then," Gordon said with a short laugh raising his hands in surrender. "You're protective. I get it."

Robin's POV

I sat down right as the waitress was setting down another round of shots. Dean started to pull his wallet out but Gordon stopped him.

"No, no, I got it."

"Come on," Dean said.

"I insist. Another one bites the dust," Gordon said raising his shot glass. I picked mine up but only hit it against Dean's glass. Sam didn't take his. "Dean. You gave that big-ass fang one hell of a haircut, my friend."

"Thank you," Dean said smiling.

"That was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful," Gordon said with a creepy laugh.

"Yep," Dean said bringing his beer to his lips but paused when he noticed Sam sitting back with his arms crossed bored. "You all right, Sammy?"

"I'm fine," Sam answered.

"Well, lighten up a little, Sammy," Gordon teased.

"They're the only ones that get to call me that," Sam said sternly.

"Okay. No offense meant. Just celebrating a little. Job well done."

"Right. Well, decapitations aren't my idea of a good time, I guess."

"Oh, come on, man. It's not like it was human. You've gotta have a little more fun with your job."

"See?" Dean said. "That's what I've been trying to tell him. You could learn a thing or two from this guy." I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, I bet I could," Sam said and sat up. "Look, I'm not gonna bring you guys down. I'm just gonna go back to the motel."

"I'll go with you," I said standing with Sam.

"You sure?" Dean asked almost annoyed.

"Yeah," Sam answered walking towards the door. Dean stopped us.

"Sammy? Remind me to beat that buzzkill out of you later, all right?" Dean tossed Sam the keys to the Impala and we left.

"You not a fan of Gordon either then?" I asked Sam once we were in the car.

"Something's off with him."

"Yeah. He gives me the creeps."

"He should."

"What's that mean?"

"Nothing," Sam said shaking his head. "So, Gordon said he knew dad. You think Bobby knows anything about him?"

"I'll call and see," I said picking up my cell phone and calling Bobby.

"Yeah?" Bobby asked sounding annoyed. It was then I realized how late it was.

"Did I wake you up?"

"Red? What do you need?" Bobby said a little softer.

"Have you ever heard of a hunter named Gordon Walker?" I asked.

"Not that I can remember but I did just wake up."

"Right. Well if anything comes to you when your conscious will you give me a call?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"We just met him on this hunt. Just seeing what kind of guy he is."

"I'd try Ellen. She knows a lot of hunters that come through that bar. She may know something."

"Yeah. Thanks. Goodnight Bobby." He didn't answer and just hung up. I smiled at the grumpy old drunk.

"Well?" Sam asked.

"Nothing. He suggested we call Ellen. You got her number?"

"Yeah. Back at the room."

Once we were back Sam called up Ellen.

"Hey, Ellen, uh, Sam Winchester…. Yeah. Yeah, everything's fine. Got a question… You ever run across a guy named Gordon Walker? …. And? …. Well, we ran into him on a job and we're kinda working with him, I guess…. I- I thought you said he was a good hunter… Ellen-… Right, okay." Sam hung up.

"What'd she say?"

"She knew him. Said he was a good hunter but we shouldn't be working with him."

"Why?"

"She said he was dangerous."

"Great. Well, I trust Ellen a whole hell of a lot more than Gordon Walker so let's call Dean and get the hell out of here."

"I dunno. I kinda want to see what Gordon is really doing here. Dean can take care of himself. Let's wait a day."

"Seriously?"

"Robin, we fight the supernatural. I think we can handle one hunter."

"I guess."

"I'm going for a walk and to get a drink. You want anything?"

"Nah. I'm fine."

"Alright. See ya later."

Sam left and I flopped onto a bed and turned on the TV. I popped me some popcorn and laid back with my boots still on. A little while later a key turned in the door and I expected it to be Sam but it was Dean and Gordon instead.

"Hey, Red," Dean said walking in. "Where's Sam?"

"He went for a walk," I said shoving more popcorn in my mouth. I tried not to glare at Gordon but after what Ellen told us it was hard not to.

"Nice to see you again, Red," Gordon said smiling.

"It's literally only been an hour, Gordon," I said not removing my eyes from the episode of Friends that was on.

"Why don't you show me what you've got," Dean said with amusement in his voice. They sat at the table by the window and Gordon pulled out a map.

"This is the best pattern I can establish. It's stretch at best." I considered going over and listening but decided Joey and Ross arguing was more important.

"Looks like it's all coming from this side of town," Dean was saying. "Which means the best would be around here someplace, right?"

"Yep, that's what I'm thinking. Problem is, there's thirty-five, forty farms out there. I've searched about half of them already, but nothing yet. They're covering their tracks real good."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to search the other half. How long ago did Sam leave, Red?"

"Bout half an hour ago," I said worried about him.

"He seems like the long walk type," Gordon said unconcerned.

"Yeah, he is, but…" the door opened before Dean could finish and Sam walked in. He looked between Dean and Gordon then over to me. I shrugged eating the remaining popcorn. "Where you been?"

"Can I talk to you and Robin alone?" Sam asked. I slid off the bed and moved over to Sam.

"You mind chillin' out for a couple minutes?" Dean asked Gordon. Gordon shook his head and we walked outside.

"Dean, maybe we've got to rethink this hunt," Sam said and I assumed he was going to tell him about what Ellen said.

"What are you talking about? Where were you?" Dean asked as we walked down by the car.

"In the nest." My head jerked around to look at Sam

"You found it?"

"They found me."

"How'd you get out? How many'd you kill?" Dean asked.

"None."

"Well Sam, they didn't just let you go."

"That's exactly what they did."

"All right, well, where is it?"

"I was blindfolded, I don't know."

"Well, you've got to know something."

"We went over that bridge outside of town, but guys, listen. Maybe we shouldn't go after them."

"Why?" I asked. "Besides the obvious Gordon problem." Dean raised an eyebrow at me.

"I don't think they're like other vampires. I don't think they're killing people."

"You're joking," Dean said. "Then how do they stay alive? Or undead, or whatever the hell they are."

"The cattle mutilations. They said they live off of animal blood."

"And you believed them?"

"That could actually work," I chimed in remembering reading something about it in Elkins's journal.

"Look at me, Dean. They let me go without a scratch."

"Wait, so you're saying… No, man, no way. I don't know why they let you go. I don't really care. We find 'em, we waste 'em."

"Why?"

"What part of 'vampires' don't you understand, Sam? If it's supernatural, we kill it, end of story. That's our job."

"No, Dean, that is not our job. Our job is hunting evil. And if these things aren't killing people, they're not evil."

"Of course they're killing people, that's what they do. They're all the same, Sam. They're not human, okay? We have to exterminate every last one of them."

"No, Dean, I don't think so, all right? Not this time."

"Gordon's been on those vamps for a year, man, he knows."

"Gordon?"

"Yes."

"You're taking his word for it?"

"That's right."

"Ellen says he's bad news," I said.

"You called Ellen?" I nodded. "And I'm supposed to listen to her? We barely know her. No thanks, I'll go with Gordon."

"Right, cause Gordon's such an old friend. You don't think I can see what this is?" Sam said.

"What are you talking about?"

"He's a substitute for Dad, isn't he? A poor one."

"Shut up, Sam," Dean said and turned to walk away.

"He's not even close, Dean. Not on his best day."

"You know what? I'm not even going to talk about this."

"You know, you slap on this big fake smile but I can see right through it," Sam said raising his voice. "Because I know how you feel, Dean. Dad's dead. And he left a hole, and it hurts so bad you can't take it, but you can't just fill up that hole with whoever you want to. It's an insult to his memory."

"Okay," Dean said and started to turn around. Suddenly he whipped around and punched Sam across the cheek.

"Dean!" I snapped stepping between them. "Stop it!" I pushed him back away from Sam who was straightening himself. Dean didn't look at me but only glared at Sam.

"You hit me all you want. It won't change anything," Sam said.

"I'm going to that nest. You don't want to tell me where it is, fine. I'll find it myself," Dean said and walked back to the room.

Sam and I followed knowing we had to stop him from going anywhere with Gordon. We walked in the room to find it empty. Dean called out for Gordon but there was no answer.

"Do you think he went after them?" Sam asked.

"Probably," Dean snapped back.

"Dean, we have to stop him."

"Really, Sam? Because I say we lend a hand."

"Just give me the benefit of the doubt, would you? You owe me that."

"Yeah, we'll see. I'll drive. Give me the keys." Sam pointed to the table where he laid them earlier.

"He snaked the keys," Sam said throwing his hands up.

Dean had to hot-wire the Impala without the keys. We headed towards the nest with the directions Sam had figured out. We pulled up at the house and Gordon's car was already parked outside. We jumped out and when we got in Gordon had a vampire strapped to a chair torturing her.

"Boys, Red. Come on in," Gordon said cheerfully.

"Hey, Gordon. What's going on?" Dean said warily.

"Just poisoning Lenore here with some dead man's blood." Gordon seemed to be enjoying the torture too much. "She's going to tell us where all her little friends are, aren't you?" He turned to us. "Wanna help?"

"Look, man-" Dean started.

"Grab a knife. I was just about to start in on the fingers." He sliced the knife across the vampires arm causing her to whimper.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey, let's all just chill out, huh?" Dean said.

"I'm completely chill." It was scary because the man was completely comfortable and happy slicing this vampire up.

"Gordon, put the knife down," Sam demanded.

"Sounds like it's Sam here needs to chill."

"Cut it out," I sneered.

"Just step away from her, all right?" Sam asked.

"You're right," Gordon said setting the knife down. "I'm wasting my time here. This bitch will never talk. Might as well put her out of her misery." Gordon pulled out a larger knife. "I just sharpened it, so it's completely humane."

"Gordon I'm letting her go," Sam said walking towards the vampire. Gordon threw his arm up pointing the knife at Sam's chest.

"You're not doing a damn thing."

"Hey, hey, hey, Gordon, let's talk about this," Dean said slowly. I could feel my gun in the waistband on my pants and itched to grab it.

"What's there to talk about? It's like I said, Dean. No shades of gray."

"Yeah. I hear ya, and I know how you feel."

"Do you?"

"That vampire that killed your sister deserved to die, but this one…" Gordon stopped Dean with an evil chuckle.

"Killed my sister? That filthy fang didn't kill my sister. It turned her. It made her one of them. So I hunted her down, and I killed her myself."

I didn't need to hear this story to know Gordon was nuts but it still surprised me to hear it. I glanced at Dean and saw that he was beginning to understand what me and Sam saw in this hunter.

"You did what?"

"It wasn't my sister anymore, it wasn't human. I didn't blink. And neither would you."

"So you knew all along, then? You knew about the vampires, you knew they weren't killing anyone. You knew about the cattle. And you just didn't care," Sam said disgusted.

"Care about what? A nest of vampires suddenly acting nice? Taking a little time out from sucking innocent people? And we're supposed to buy that? Trust me. Doesn't change what they are. And I can prove it."

Gordon grabbed Sam by the arm and cut him with the knife before he put the knife to his throat and pulled him over to the vampire. Dean and I had our guns drawn and pointed at Gordon. I held it with my left hand since the cast was on the right so I didn't want to shoot out of fear of hitting Sam.

"Let him go. Now!" Dean demanded.

"Relax. If I wanted to kill him he'd already be on the floor." I shook my head knowing that wasn't true. "Just making a little point."

Gordon squeezed Sam's arm over the vampire causing blood to drip out onto her face. The vampire hissed and her fangs extended.

"Hey!" Dean yelled.

"You think she's so different? Still want to save her?"

"Now I just really want to kill you," I told him gritting my teeth.

"I'm just making a point. Look at her. They're all the same. Evil, bloodthirsty."

The vampire took a breath and retracted her fangs turning her face away from the blood.

"No. No," the vampire repeated.

"You hear her, Gordon?" Sam spat.

"No, No."

Sam pushed the knife away from him before he pushed Gordon away. Gordon lowered his knife watching the vampire.

"We're done here," Sam said.

"Sam, get her out of here," Dean said.

"Yeah."

Sam picked the vampire up out of the chair and started to leave with her. Gordon gritted his teeth and took a step towards them.

"Uh-uh! Uh-uh!" Dean said keeping his gun trained on Gordon. I lowered my gun stuffing it back against my back and helped Sam out to the car.

I opened the door to the car so he could put her in and heard a thud from inside.

"Get her out of here," I told Sam running back to the house. I ran in in time to see Gordon kick Dean into a table. The table crumbled under him.

I looked up at Gordon and ran tackling him backwards. We hit the dinning table and I punched him across the face with my casted hand. He grabbed me by the throat and threw me onto the floor. I kicked at him while he choked me. I tried reaching for the knife in my boot but he was thrown off of me before I could get to it.

Dean threw Gordon into a wall and pinned him there. Gordon raised his arm to punch Dean but between fighting me and Dean he was out of breath and Dean grabbed his hand and pushed his fist away before elbowing Gordon in the face twice.

I got to my feet catching my breath. Dean hooked Gordons head under his arm and walked him towards the room I was in. He knocked Gordon's head against the doorframe and apologized sarcastically. I smiled at him and pulled the chair out the vampire had been in.

Dean sat Gordon down in the chair and I handed him some rope from a bag on the table. Dean started tying Gordon up and I leaned against the table absently rubbing my neck as I watched.

"You know, I might be like you, and I might not. But you're the one tied up right now," Dean hissed in Gordon's ear. Dean walked over to me and leaned against the table beside me. "You okay?"

"Just fine. Was like fighting a handicapped child," I said as Gordon glared at us.

"He's tied up. You could punch him all you wanted to now," Dean shrugged.

"I'd hate to bruise his ego more." Dean smiled at me and wrapped an arm around me.

The sun was rising by the time Sam got back. Dean had been pacing the room with a knife in his hand. I moved to the next room over and sat on the couch beside the broken table Dean had fallen on. The door squeaked open and Sam walked in. I stood and followed him into the room where Dean was with Gordon.

"Did I miss anything?" Sam asked looking at Gordon tied up.

"Eh, not much," Dean said offhandedly. "Lenore get out okay?"

"Yeah. All of 'em did."

"Then I guess our work here is done. How you doin', Gordy? Gotta tinkle yet?" Gordon shot Dean a nasty look. "All right. Well, get comfy. We'll call someone in two or three days, have them come out, untie you."

Dean took the knife he was holding and jammed it into the table behind Gordon.

"Ready to go, Dean?" Sam asked.

"Not yet," Dean said and stepped back in front of Gordon. "I guess this is goodbye. Well, it's been real."

Dean jerked forwards and punched Gordon sending his chair tipping over backwards and the tied man to groan in pain. Dean calmly turned back to me and Sam.

"Okay. I'm good now. We can go."

I shared a smile with Sam and we followed him out of the house. We walked down the front porch and towards the Impala and Dean stopped us.

"Sam?" Dean said taking a sturdy stance. "Clock me one."

"What?" Sam asked confused.

"Come on. I won't even hit you back. Let's go."

"No."

"Let's go, you get a freebie. Hit me, come on."

"You look like you just went twelve round with a block of cement, Dean. I'll take a raincheck," Sam said turning and walking to the car.

"Can I do it for him?" I teased. Dean repeated my words in a mumble mocking me and ruffled my hair.

"No you can't."

I rolled my eyes and grinned and opened the door to the Impala.

"I wish we never took this job. It's jacked everything up," Dean complained.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Think about all the hunts we went on, Sammy, our whole lives."

"Okay."

"What if we killed things that didn't deserve killing? You know? I mean, the way Dad raised us…"

"Dean, after what happened to Mom, Dad did the best he could."

"I know he did. But the man wasn't perfect. And the way he raised us, to hate those things. And man, I hate 'em. I do. When I killed that vampire at the mill I didn't even think about. Hell, I even enjoyed it."

"You didn't kill Lenore," I added.

"No, but every instinct told me to. I was gonna kill her. I was gonna kill 'em all."

"Yeah, Dean, but you didn't," Sam said. "And that's what matters."

"Yeah. Well, cause you're a pain in my ass."

"Guess I might have to stick around to be a pain in the ass, then."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"Let's go," I groaned. "I want to get as far away from Gordon as possible. He makes my skin crawl." Sam laughed and Dean smiled at me and Sam ducked into the car. Dean joined us a moment later and we drove away from the house. Out of Montana and onto our next journey.


	11. No Exit

Things were starting to get complicated with Sam's psychic stuff. We met two more psychic guys and one had turned out to be a nut case like the last one and the other was his long lost twin who was just as confused as us. Sam was starting to think that being psychic meant that he too would one day turn bad.

We'd stopped by the roadhouse on the way back through and Ash had figured out that the last psychic kid's mother hadn't died on their 6 month birthday. This means the pattern was broken.

Now we were packing the Impala up. We'd stayed the night at the Roadhouse in the back where Ellen had a few beds. Joe had been kind enough to offer to share his with me but I stuck to fighting for blankets with Dean instead.

Dean had finally cut my cast off and I was happy to have my right hand back even though I'd become pretty good with my left. Now, of course Sam, had a broken right arm. I'm pretty sure Dean was getting annoyed at having one of us constantly hurt.

"Where are we headed now?" I asked with the signs of sleep still in my voice.

"Los Angeles, California," Dean said closing the trunk.

"What's in L.A.?" Sam asked

"Young girl's been kidnapped by an evil cult."

"Yeah? Girl got a name?"

"Katie Holmes."

"That's funny. And for you, so bitchy," Sam said and I rolled my eyes opening the backdoor. I stopped when yelling the the sound of glass breaking came from inside the Roadhouse.

"That doesn't sound good," I mumbled.

We walked inside the Roadhouse where Ellen and Joe were having a shouting match. They didn't notice when we came in and continued fighting. Joe wanted to start hunting and Ellen wouldn't let him. Probably afraid he'd end up dead like his dad.

"Guys, bad time," Ellen said finally noticing us.

"Yes, ma'am," Sam said holding up a hand obviously not wanting to get involved.

"Yeah, we rarely drink before ten anyway," Dean said and we turned back to the door.

"Wait," Joe said stopping us. "I wanna know what they think about this."

"Uh," I started with wide eyes while Ellen glared at me. She was not a woman I wanted to mess with.

Luckily the door opened behind me and I turned to see a family walk in wearing tourist t-shirts.

"Are you guys open?" the man asked. Ellen yelled 'yes' the same time Joe yelled 'no' and the family awkwardly let themselves out saying they'd just find somewhere else.

The phone started ringing and Ellen looked at Joe expecting him to get it but Joe only glared back. Finally Ellen stomped around to the phone and answered it. Joe picked up a folder on the table and held it out to me.

"Three weeks ago a young girl disappears from a Philadelphia apartment." I looked down at the folder in his hands then up at him. "Take it, it won't bite."

"No, but your mom might." Dean sighed and took the folder instead.

"And this girl wasn't the first," Joe continued. "Over the past eighty years six women have vanished. All from the same building, all young pretty girls. Only happens every decade or two so cops never eyeball the pattern. So we're either dealing with one very old serial killer, or-"

"Who put this together? Ash?" Dean asked flipping through the file.

"I did it myself," Joe said proudly.

"Not bad," I said looking over at the folder. Joe smiled at me.

"I gotta admit, we hit the road for a lot less," Sam added.

"Good," Ellen said walking over. "You like the case so much, you take it."

"Mom-"

"Joseph Anthony, this family has lost enough. And I won't lose you too. I just won't."

"She right, Joe," I said laying a hand on his shoulder. "We'll take care of this." Honestly I was just desperate to get out of the Roadhouse and away from this family feud.

We drove to Philadelphia and found the apartment building. After locating the room where the last abduction took place Sam picked the lock and we walked in. The boys pulled out their EMF readers and started walking around the apartment.

"I feel kind of bad, snaking Joe's case," Sam said as he walked around.

"Yeah, maybe he put together a good file, but could you see that kid out here working one of these thing? I don't think so. You getting anything?"

"No, not yet." I let them search for a reading and I went through the rooms glancing around for anything strange.

I walked back into the main room where they were and saw them looking at something by the wall. I walked over and Dean poked his finger in something and came back with black goo on it.

"Oh yeah. Poke the strange substance with your bare hand," I said with a sigh.

"It's ectoplasm. Well, guys, I think I know what we're dealing with here," Dean said and I gave him my full attention wondering what would leave behind ectoplasm. "It's the Stay-Puft Marshmellow Man." I rolled my eyes and smacked him in the arm.

"Dean, I've only seen this stuff, like, twice," Sam said. "I mean, to make this stuff you have to be one majorly pissed off spirit."

"All right, let's find this badass before he snags any more girls."

We left the apartment headed to the car to start researching. When we got into the hallway we heard voices headed our way and I let out a grunt when Dean pulled me back into a alcove to hide.

"It's pretty nice," a young male voice said coming down the hall. "Spacious. You did a really good job with this place."

I turned to look at Dean and Sam. I recognized that voice. I stepped out into the hall and came face to face with Joe and another man who must've owned the place.

"Joe?"

"There you are, gorgeous," Joe said wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me towards him. "This is my girlfriend, Robin. And her two brothers Sam and Dean." I craned my neck to look at Sam and Dean who were now standing behind me. I raised an eyebrow and Sam smiled playing along.

"Good to meetcha. Quite the fella you got there. Knows a lot about construction."

"Yeah. He's a good one," I said smacking Joe in the chest slightly too hard.

"So, you guys checked out the apartment? The one for rent?" Joe hinted.

"Yeah. It was great. Absolutely loved it," I said through gritted teeth.

"How'd you get in?" the landlord asked.

"It was open," Dean answered.

"Now, Ed, when did the last tenant move out?" Joe asked.

"Oh, about a month ago. Cut and run, too. Stick me for the rent."

"Well. Her loss, our gain. Cause if my baby here loves it, it's good enough for me. You know what they say, she's always right," Joe said smoothly.

"You bet your ass I am," I said with a tight smile.

"We'll take it," Joe said and pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket.

"Okay. I'll get the paper work ready and bring it up."

"Take your time," Joe said and we turned and headed towards the car to get our things. I smacked Joe's arm off my shoulders and walked to stand next to Sam and Dean.

"You gonna share the bed with me, Red Robin?" Joe asked once we were back in the room. I ignored him and continued cleaning my gun at the table with Sam.

"Does your mother even know you're here?" Dean asked.

"Told her I was going to Vegas."

"You think she's gonna buy that?"

"I'm not an idiot. I got Ash to lay a credit card trail all the way to the casinos."

"You know, you shouldn't lie to your mom. Shouldn't be here either."

"Well, I am. So get over it, dude."

I could see Dean fighting the urge to smack the kid into next week but he took a breath and turned away.

Ellen called looking for Joe but Dean lied and said we hadn't seen him. Why? I don't know. Joe pulled out the information on the building and I sat across from him as we went over the research.

We searched all over but couldn't find any violent deaths or suicides. Finally, we decided it had to be a cursed object still in the building.

"Right, so, you stick with Sam and take the bottom floors. Me and Red will get the top," Dean said getting his weapons together.

"I'm not pairing up with you Dean. We'll go faster in groups of three. I'll take the top floor."

"No, you're sticking with me."

"Why?"

"This thing is after pretty young girls, Red. Guess what? That's you."

"Oh, whatever, Dean. I'll be fine."

"I could go with Red. That way there's still three groups," Joe spoke up.

"No," Dean ordered sternly shutting Joe down quick.

"Fine," I said frustrated. "Let's get going."

I walked next to Dean down the hallway. He had his EMF reader out and I walked next to him slinging my arms lazily bored. I let out an exaggerated yawn and Dean turned around to frown at me.

"What?" he snapped.

"Oh am I getting on your nerves? Cause honestly I'd be just as much help back at the room if you'd like."

"Stop being a brat."

"What's up with you? Never in my entire life have you had a problem with splitting up and there has always been a danger of me getting hurt or kidnapped or offered as a sacrifice to a goat god. Whatever."

"What? You wanna be bait?"

"Sure. Why not? Quickest way to find this thing."

"Hell no."

"Dean, what is it?"

"Red, we're going after something that is after girls like you. I'm not losing you right after… We just lost dad, Robin."

"You're afraid I'm gonna die," I stated. He didn't answer and turned to continue down the hall.

I moved to follow him but stopped when I smelled something. I looked down and saw a vent near my feet. I bent to see if the smell was coming from it.

"What is it?" Dean asked once he noticed I wasn't following him.

"You smell that?" I asked looking up at him.

"Yeah," he said sniffing. "I know it. I just can't put my finger on it."

"Yeah, me too. I think it's coming from here."

Dean crouched next to me and held his EMF reader out to the grate. The lights on the top lit up and it buzzed.

"It's inside the vent," I said flipping my flashlight on and looking through the grates. Dean pulled a screwdriver out of his pocket and started to remove the cover. He held his hand out for the flashlight and I gave it to him.

"There's something in there," he said and handed me the flashlight back. He reached his arm into the vent and I leaned over his shoulder shinning the light in.

"You're gonna get grabbed by something," I mumbled next to his ear. "Just like in the movies."

"Shut up," he said and jerked something loose from inside the vent. He pulled his arm out and in his hand was a piece of scalp with long blonde hair attached. "Somebody's keeping souvenirs."

"Ick," I said absently rubbing at my scalp. "I might take back the being bait idea. I'm quite fond of my hair."

We returned to the apartment and told Sam and Joe what we'd found. They hadn't had any luck finding anything and we sat down to continue the research until we were all too tired to stay awake.

Joe took the bed and continued to offer to share with me but I refused. Instead I kicked Sam off the couch and he slept on the floor while Dean slept twisted up in an office chair.

I woke up the next morning and Sam was gone from the floor and Dean wasn't in the chair any more. I could hear the shower running and rolled off the couch and looked over at Joe sitting at the table.

"Who's in the shower?" I asked.

"Dean."

"Where's Sam?"

"Went to get coffee. You sleep well? Tonight you're welcome to join me," he said with a cocky grin.

"Might as well stop," I said and sauntered over to the bathroom winking at Joe before walking in. Let him think what he wanted. I knew Dean terrified him.

"That better be Red or I swear to God I will end you Joe," Dean said from behind the shower curtain.

"It's me. Settle down. Just brushing my teeth. The whole scalp thing has me feeling ten kinds of disgusting," I said with a shiver.

"Amen, honey." Dean popped his head out from around the shower curtain. He was covered in suds. "You and Joe find anything?"

"I dunno if he has," I said talking around my tooth brush and looking at him through the mirror. "I just woke up."

"Well you two stay put until I'm done in here," he said and continued his shower.

I left the bathroom and plopped down across from Joe at the table. He sat looking over the information we had and flipping a knife around in his hands.

"You find anything?"

"Just been looking over everything."

"What's with the butter knife?" I asked and he stopped twirling it to look at me. He stabbed the knife in the table in front of me and facing me on the blade were the initials 'W.A.H.'

"William Anthony Harvelle," Joe clarified.

"Your dads then," I said pulling the knife out of the table top and handing it to him. "Sorry. Seems like you have to lose someone to be a hunter."

"You had a family though right? You grew up with a mom and dad?"

"Not exactly," I said with a laugh.

"What do you mean?"

"They were a mom and dad but they weren't family. Just because they were there doesn't mean they were _there_." Joe stared contemplating what I'd said. "But Sam and Dean, John, they were always there."

"Weren't they gone on hunts a lot?"

"Yeah, but they always came when I needed them. One time I had a painting featured in a local museum. My foster parents couldn't make it of course. So, I called up Sam and Dean last second and asked if they could come just so I'd have someone there. Everyone there was dressed up and they showed up right after a hunt in their muddy boots. But I was so happy to see them."

"Guess they're great guys," Joe said almost sadly.

"What do you remember about your dad?"

"I was still playing with Hot Wheels when my dad died, but I remember him coming home from a hunt. He'd burst through that door and he'd pick me up and swing me around. And my mom, who was sour and pissed from the mine he left, she started smiling again. And we were… we were a family. He's why I wanna do the job. To be close to him."

"Find anything?" Dean said stepping out of the bathroom. I hadn't heard the shower turn off and wondered if he had heard Joe's story. Or mine.

"Not yet," Joe answered right before the door swung open and Sam stepped in out of breath.

"Where's the coffee?" Dean asked.

"There's cops outside. Another girl disappeared."

"I'll check it out," Dean said pulling out his FBI badge.

When he returned he gave us the information he'd found out. Another girl in an apartment a floor below us.

"What's her apartment look like?" Joe asked.

"Cracks all over the plaster, walls, ceiling. There was ectoplasm, too."

"Well, between that and that tuft of hair I'd say this suckers coming from the walls," Sam said.

"But who is it? Building's history is totally clean."

"Maybe we're looking in the wrong place," Joe said holding up a picture.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Check it out." Sam took the photo and looked it over.

"An empty field?"

"It's where the building was built. Take a look at the one next door. The windows."

"Bars."

"We're next door to a prison?" Dean asked.

"I'll call Ash. See if he can find out anything on it," Joe said and flipped open his phone to call his friend at the Roadhouse. "Okay. Moyamensing prison. Built in 1835, torn down in 1963. And get this. They used to execute people by hanging them in the empty field next door."

"Well, then, we need a list. All the people executed there."

"Ash is already on it. He's gonna email me the list when he gets it."

"Great. More waiting," I said and flopped down on the couch. Dean sat next to me laying his arm across the couch behind me. He let out a quiet giggle and I turned to give him a curious look.

"You remember that time we had to go to that island off the coast of Georgia and the only way to get there was by boat?" I frowned.

"Why would you bring that up?"

"Good times."

"Dean, you almost drowned me."

"Oh come on. No I didn't."

"You flipped the jet ski ten feet from the pier and it only got worse from there."

"You wouldn't stop moving."

"None of that was my fault. And you know I'm a horrible swimmer."

"Yeah, well lucky for you I'm not." I rolled my eyes at the memory.

"What made you think of that?" I asked.

"I don't know," Dean said with a small smile.

He looked up and something caught his eye across the room. I looked up in time to see Joe look away. He was sitting at the table with Sam. Dean let out a chuckle and I turned to look at him. He raised an eyebrow teasingly and winked looking between me and Joe.

"Shut up," I said smacking him. "You know better."

"Right," he said pulling me into him and ruffling my hair.

"Guys, Ash just sent us the list," Sam called over from his computer.

"What do we got?" Dean asked hopping from the couch and heading over to them. I followed.

"A hundred fifty seven names?" Sam said scrolling through a long list of prisoners.

"We've gotta narrow that down."

"Yeah."

"Or else we're gonna be digging up a hell of a lot of stiffs."

Sam stopped scrolling and highlighted a name. 'Herman Webster Mudgett.'

"Wasn't that H. H. Holmes' real name?"

"You've gotta be kiddin' me."

I groaned while the boys did some googling to find out more on Holmes. Turns out he was executed in the lot next to Moyamensing on May 7, 1896.

"His victim flavor of choice was of course pretty petite girls. He used chloroform to kill 'em," Dean said reading from the computer.

"Chloroform," I repeated.

"Yeah. That's what we smelled in the hallway last night."

"Well, we just find his bones, salt 'em and burn 'em, right?" Joe said.

"Well, it's not that easy. His body is buried in town, but it's encased in a couple tons of concrete," Sam explained.

"What? Why?"

"The story goes that he didn't want anybody mutilating his corpse. Cause, you know, that's what he used to do," Dean said.

"We might have an even bigger problem than that," Sam said standing to pick up a piece of paper from the table.

"How does this get bigger?" I mumbled rubbing my temples.

"Holmes built an apartment building in Chicago. He called it the Murder Castle. The whole place was a death factory. They had trap doors, acid vats, quick line pits. He built these secret chambers inside the walls. He'd lock his victims in, keep them alive for days. Some he'd suffocate, others he'd let starve to death."

"So Teresa could still be alive?" Joe asked.

"She could be inside these walls," I said raising my head.

"We need sledgehammers, crowbars. We've got to smash these walls, anywhere thick enough to hide a girl," Dean said jumping into action.

We ran down to the car to get the hammers and crowbars and then split off into our groups again. Joe with Sam and me with Dean. I didn't argue this time. I knew it would only waste time.

Dean busted a hole in the wall big enough for us to fit through and we started walking through the walls of the second floor. It was dark and cob webs covered the walls. I was glad Dean was in front so he walked through them all instead of me. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out to find it was Sam calling.

"Hey, me and Joe are almost done with first. Haven't found anything. You and Dean have any luck?"

"None. Nothing but bugs and questionable wiring."

"Great."

"Call us after you check the southeast wall," I said and hung up stuffing my phone back into my pocket. "Sam and Joe are almost done with the first floor. Hasn't found anything either."

Dean let out a sigh but kept walking sideways between the walls. Suddenly he stopped and I bumped into his arm.

"What?" I asked looking around him.

"It's too narrow. Can't go any further." He couldn't. But I could. I twisted around and pushed him back against a wall as I squeezed past him.

"I can get through," I said jammed between Dean and the wall.

"What are you- Red?" he stuttered. "Shoulda cleaned the pipes."

"What?" I snapped turning my head to face him.

"I, uh, I wish the pipes were cleaner."

"I heard you Winchester. Shut the hell up."

"Yes ma'am." I slid past him and now stood sideways in the opening of the next part of the narrower passage. "You're not going in there alone."

"Yeah I am. Here," I said pulling my phone out. "I'll stay on the line with you." I started walking again but Dean grabbed my wrist stopping me.

"If you see anything weird or smell anything you turn back, got it?"

"This isn't my first rodeo."

"Yeah. I know. And I know how you work. You'll go in even if I tell you not to."

"That's not true."

"Then don't go in," Dean insisted.

"Except this time," I said with a smile and a wink. I pulled my phone out and dialed his number as I walked around a corner leaving Dean out of my sight. I took another turn and Dean answered.

"Where are you?"

"On the north wall," I said shining my flashlight around looking for anything unusual. I paused when I saw the path ended. But an air duct continued down. "I'm headed down. It's an air duct."

"No, no, no, no, stay up here, Red," Dean demanded.

"Dean, I've got it. Nothing strange so far."

"All right. I'm headed to you."

I lowered myself over the edge and dropped down keeping the phone between my ear and shoulder. Another passage lay before me just like the one I'd just come from. I let out a sigh. Another dead end.

I continued forward and tried to squeeze into an even smaller path but couldn't fit. I looked around looking for another way when I paused smelling something.

"Great," I mumbled.

"What?" Dean asked on the phone. I had forgotten he was there. My flashlight shone across something shiny on the walls and I froze watching the ectoplasm seep through the wooden planks.

"Damn it."

"What is it? Red? Robin answer me."

"Uh, it found me," I gulped right before a hand shot out of the wall towards me and I let out a yelp and everything went black.

Dean's POV

"Uh, it found me," Red said through the phone and I froze in the hallway. I heard a short yelp and my feet moved into action. I had heard the shout from behind a nearby wall and not from the phone.

"Robin!" I yelled before I started knocking the wall down with the sledgehammer. _Please, let her be there. Please, let her be playing a cruel joke. _

But when I smashed a hole in the wall big enough to fit my head in I swept my flashlight around looking for her but she wasn't there. My heart was pounding and I tried taking deep breaths to calm myself. The flashlight fell over something reflective on the floor and I moved it back to see it was her phone. She wasn't playing a trick. The ghost of H. H. Holmes had Robin.

I snatched up the phone and took off back towards the apartment calling Sam.

"He's got her, Sam," I said running up the stairs.

"What?"

"He's got Robin!"

"Robin?"

I turned the corner and ran right into Sam. I snapped my phone shut and stuffed it in my pocket. Sam and Joe stood looking at me confused.

"He's got, Red?" Joe asked.

"Yeah."

"How'd that happen?" Sam asked following me back to the apartment.

"I wasn't with her. I let her go alone. Dammit!" I yelled jerking the door open.

"Hey, hey, look, we'll find her, all right?" Sam said trying to calm me down. But I couldn't calm down. I had told her not to go. I knew this would happen. I should've drug her out of the walls. Refused to let her go alone.

"Where?"

"Inside the walls."

"We've been inside the walls all night! None of the other girls were there, she won't be either!"

"Look. We've just gotta take a beat and think about this. Red is going to be fine. You know she can handle this until we find her. Maybe we got Holmes' M.O. wrong."

"Yeah, well, we'd better friggin' think fast!"

"Don't beat yourself up, Dean. There's nothing you could have done."

"It's Robin, Sam!"

"Look," Sam said pulling out a page from our research. "You look at the layout of the Holmes murder castle, theres all the torture chamber inside the walls, right?"

"Right." The thought of torture chambers and Robin weren't helping me.

"But, there's one we haven't considered yet. The one in this basement."

"This building doesn't have a basement."

"You're right, it doesn't. But I just noticed this. Beneath the foundation, it looks like part of an old sewer system that hasn't been used for-" I didn't let Sam finish. If it was any kind of lead I was going to look.

"Let's go," I said pulling my jacket on. Sam followed me and Joe fell behind him wide eyed.

Red's POV

When I woke up I was nauseous and laying on a hard flat surface. I opened my eyes to see nothing but darkness. I pulled my flashlight out and it illuminated a wall about six inches above my face. I looked to my sides to see I was in some sort of concrete cell that was barely big enough to hold my body.

I could feel my heart rate increase as I thought about the tight quarters and closed my eyes taking deep breaths. _I've had worse. Of course I've had worse. This is nothing._

I told myself this over and over and when I opened my eyes again I felt better. I moved the flashlight to take a closer look at the walls and instantly felt worse again when I saw the bloody claw marks from where previous victims had tried to dig themselves out with their fingernails. I held a hand to my mouth trying to calm my already unsteady stomach.

I looked to my right and saw that there was a metal place making up part of the wall instead of concrete. I moved the flashlight to look at it and saw there was a small opening I could look through. I wiggled over and looked out.

Beyond the metal door was a round room. The walls were stone and every so often there was a long metal door along the middle of the wall. I figured I must be in one of those myself. A bang sounded through the room and I snapped the flashlight off. I sat still waiting and watching for movement. When none came I called out.

"Hello?" I said through the opening and then watched for movement again.

"Is- is anybody there?" a voice called from the other side of the room. It was the terrified voice of a female.

"Are you Teresa?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Great. My name's Robin Browning. I'm here to rescue you," I said quoting Luke from A New Hope. When she didn't answer the smile on my face fell.

_Of course she didn't find that funny. She was locked away in a cell to be murdered by a damn ghost._ _Actually I should probably be more worried. I should look into counseling._

I was snapped out of my thoughts when another bang sounded in the distance. It sounded like it was down a corridor from the room we were in.

"Oh god. He's out there, he's going to kill us!" Teresa quaked.

"No, he's not," I said sternly. "We're getting out. My friends are looking for us, they'll find us." Footsteps fell in the corridor and slowly became louder as they neared.

"Oh god, it's him!"

"Just be quiet!" I hissed.

The footsteps stopped and I looked around through the opening but saw nothing. All was quiet except the sound of my own breathing. I started to relax thinking he'd gone away when a hand burst through the wall and grabbed my head by the hair.

I let out a scream and fought against the dirty, dead and decaying hand. The hand jerked free along with a chunk of my hair and I watched it disappear through the metal door with a lock of red hair with it.

I grabbed at my head where the hair had been ripped from and stared wide eyed at the opening. I was shaking and breathing heavily. I heard a fearful whimper and thought it was Teresa before I realized it had come from me.

At the sound of my own terrified voice I calmed. Why was I scared to begin with? I had been on hundreds of hunts. Seen things much more terrifying than this. Been separated from the boys plenty of times. Why was I scared now? Was it the chloroform still working in my system or the tight quarters? Or the fact that Sam and Dean didn't exactly know where I was? Hell I didn't know where I was.

But none of that fit. None of that was reason enough for me to be this scared. Why was I?

I shook my head clearing the thoughts away. I had to get out. The boys might be a while and if Holmes came back I could be in serious trouble.

I looked at the metal door and knew it had to open. I was put in here somehow. I started kicking at it attempting to knock it loose from its rusty hinges. No good. I fell back huffing and trying to think of another way out.

I heard a thud and turned to look out the opening and instead found a nasty bearded mouth blocking my view. The teeth were dirty and the skin grey from decay. I knew it was Holmes.

"You're so pretty," he cooed. "So beautiful."

"Go to hell," I hissed. His hand reached into my cell and I flipped over trying to scoot away.

His hand trailed from my face down my arm while I snarled disgusted. My eyes snapped open when I realized I was an idiot. I had my knife in my boot. An iron knife. I brought my foot up and grabbed it and twisted stabbing his hand in one swift movement. He disappeared in a cloud of grey dust but he'd be back.

"Messing with the wrong girl, Holmes!" I yelled out at the empty room. I held my knife close and peeked out.

"Is he gone?" Teresa asked.

"For now. He'll be ba-" I was interrupted by two hands shooting through the door and grabbing me roughly. I let out a yell and he knocked my knife from my hands. "Let me go!" I yelled before his nasty hand clamped down on my mouth.

I fought against him but he was too strong and I didn't have enough room to get any kind of grip against anything. Fear started to take over me again and I felt myself sweating and sucking in breath through my nose spastically.

"Hey!" I heard Dean yell and nearly passed out in relief. A gunshot sounded and I was released from Holmes' grasp. I coughed and turned over gagging.

"Red?!" Dean yelled and I heard him and Sam enter the room.

"Here," I said hoarsely as I calmed myself.

I was still trying to steady my breathing when Dean started to pry away the hinges to my cell. He grunted and cussed with the effort and from the sound of his rapid breathing he had either just ran a marathon or was worried himself. He handed the iron bar he'd been using to Sam to free Teresa and opened the door freeing me.

I flew from the prison and straight into Dean who held me tight against him.

"You alright?" he asked holding me out to look at me.

"Peachy," I breathed. Dean let out a relieved sigh and turned to Sam.

"You two get her out of here and bring back salt," Dean told Sam and Joe. I looked up at Dean and my shoulders slumped exhausted.

"Guess this means I get to be bait."

"It's the only plan we got."

Sam and Joe left with Teresa who was clutching at Sam terrified. I didn't blame her. I was exhausted and my muscles were sore from moving around on concrete and not getting to completely straighten.

"You're okay?" Dean asked again. We were sitting on the edge of the room waiting for them to get back with a shotgun at his side.

"I promise. I just really want a long shower and a nice soft bed."

"I'm sorry. I should've never let you go alone."

"Shut up."

"Red."

"Stop Dean. I'm okay. I'm not dead. I'm not even hurt except for his bald spot on my head. So just stop blaming yourself. I made the decision to go alone. You couldn't have stopped me."

"Joe's getting Teresa taken care of," Sam said reentering the round room with a few tin containers of salt.

We each took one and went around the room lining the walls. Then Sam and Dean rigged a piece of cloth to hold salt above the door Holmes would come through. Once he was in the room they would pour the salt over the opening completing the circle.

All that was left was for me to sit and wait. I sat in the center of the room indian style and faced away from the door Holmes would come through. I knew Sam and Dean were just around the corner but I still got more nervous the longer I sat. Finally I heard breathing behind me. I couldn't move until Dean gave the signal. The breathing got closer and I closed my eyes shut and gritted my teeth.

"Now!" Dean finally yelled and I fell to the ground to get out of the way of Sam and Dean shooting the rope holding the salt up over the door.

The grate that the boys were behind opened up and Dean jerked me up pulling me into the tunnel and over the salt. I turned back around as Dean closed the grate back. Holmes was turning in circles desperately trying to find a break in the salt. He started screaming and panicking when he realized what had happened.

"Let's get out of here," I breath and Sam nods leading the way out.

I stood with Sam and Joe by the entrance to the sewers. Dean had gone as soon as we were out to get a cement truck and Joe joined us not long after once he got Teresa back safe.

"This job as glamorous as you thought?" I asked smiling at Joe knowing I was covered in all sorts of nasty I didn't want to even begin to think about. Joe gave me a short laugh.

"Except for all the pee-your-pants terror, yeah. Sure. But that Teresa girl's gonna live a life because of us. It's worth it, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Yeah it is," I said cleaning dirt out from under my now black finger nails.

"Hey, what if somebody finds that sewer down there, or a storm washes the salt away?" Joe asked.

"Both very fine points," Sam responded. "Which is why we're waiting here."

"For what?" About that time the reverse beeping of a truck sounded and we turned to see Dean arriving with the cement truck.

"For that."

Sam directed Dean over to the entrance of the sewer and then set up the mixer allowing the wet cement to run down the entrance.

"You ripped off a cement truck?" Joe asked Dean as he walked around to us.

"I'll give it back," he said and pulled me into his side. "You smell like shit, Red."

"So do you, jackass." I smiled up at Dean who gave me one of his best smiles back.

I realized now, after it was all over, why I had been so scared. It was because Dean had been so concerned before. He had refused to let me out of his sight out of fear I would die. And I knew what would happen to him if I had. He'd just lost his father. He didn't need to lose me too. That's why I had been scared. I had been terrified to leave Sam and Dean with another death to deal with.

"Seriously though. Let's get you a shower," Dean said with a curled lip in disgust.


	12. Hunted

I appreciate your reviews guys. I don't even expect reviews on this thing. I just wrote it cause I'm bored and I post it in hopes someone might enjoy it. But I'm always so happy when I get a review anyway. So thanks. You're the best! :D

Also, I don't own Supernatural.

* * *

It had been a few months since the H. H. Holmes hunt. We took Joe back to the Roadhouse where his mother waiting at the door furious as we drove up. They had an argument and Joe stormed out. I went after him to make sure everything was okay and it was revealed that John had been with his father when he died. Joe hadn't been happy with us when we left.

Our next stop had landed us in a jail thanks to Dean being wanted for murder even though he was supposed to also be dead. I had been let go since the investigators seemed to think I'd been brainwashed by the Winchesters. I then freed Sam and we finished the case and saved Dean just before a crazy drug dealing cop killed him.

After that we dealt with some crossroad demons and hell hounds. Nasty stuff that included selling your soul to a demon for something you wanted in return but after ten years your life was up and you were sent to hell. I didn't have much pity on the victims. If you made a trade like that you probably deserved it.

Our last hunt had nearly gotten Sam killed. We ended up in a town infected with a virus called Croatoan. It was created by demons and caused people to want to kill each other. We thought Sam had been infected but he never had any symptoms.

Bobby called me after that and asked me to come home to help him with a local hunt. I said bye to the boys and hot-wired a car and headed his way. Night had fallen and I'd just pulled up at Bobby's when Dean called me.

"Don't worry. I made it safely. Just pulled up at Bobby's," I said grabbing my bag and stepping out of the car.

"Red, Sam's gone," Dean said panicked.

"What?" I said freezing in my spot halfway out of the car.

"We had a fight, he took off. I can't find him. You heard from him?"

"No. Where are you?" I said sitting back down in the car and slinging my bag into the backseat again.

I called Bobby as I was pulling out of his driveway to tell him the hunt would have to be put on hold for a bit. Next I tried calling Sam but no answer. I tried Sam a few more times on the drive to meet Dean but he never picked up.

"What happened?" I asked jumping out of my car and walking towards Dean who stood against the Impala at the spot where we'd said to meet.

"Still haven't heard anything?" he asked.

"No. I tried calling but he wouldn't pick up."

"Damn it. Bobby?"

"Nothing. Dean, what happened?"

"Get in the car. I'll explain while we drive," Dean said jerking his door open.

I threw my bag in the backseat and got in the passenger seat. Dean didn't say anything for a while and instead sped down the road to an unknown destination. I sat patiently waiting for him to tell me.

"Before dad died, he told me something about Sam. He said something about how I had to save him. From this psychic mess."

"Okay? That's why we're going after Yellow Eyes. He's got something to do with it right?"

"Robin, he said if I couldn't save Sam I'd have to kill him."

"Kill him? Why?"

"I don't know." Dean was distressed over this whole affair. "Anyway I told this to Sam and he left. Said I should have told him sooner. But what the hell was I supposed to do with that information, Red? I don't even know what it means! And I'm sure as hell not killing Sammy."

"I don't know. We just need to find Sam. We've got to kill Yellow Eyes but we need to be together. I can't believe he ran off alone."

"What do you think dad meant? You think Sam could go dark side?" Dean asked quietly.

"No. He won't. Don't worry about what he said about killing Sam because you're not going to have to. There won't be a reason to." Dean's phone rang and he answered it quickly.

"Hello? …. Hey, have you heard from Sam? …. Come on, Ellen, please. Something bad could be going on here, and I swore I'd look after that kid…. Thanks," Dean finished the conversation and hung up.

"Ellen found him?"

"Lafayette, Indiana."

We pulled up to the Blue Rose Motel in Lafayette. We'd been by a few motels and had no luck finding Sam. Finally, we spotted him through the window here and Dean parked the car and cut the engine.

"Thank god he's okay," I said leaning over the seat to look into the room. Sam moved away from the window and revealed a woman standing behind him.

"Oh, you're better than okay. Sam, you sly dog," Dean said smiling. I smacked him but I couldn't help my own smile. I was just thankful Sam was okay.

"Come on, Dean. I am not watching Sam bang some chick through the window." Dean turned around to look at me and his smile fell when his eyes landed on something across the parking lot.

"Son of a bitch," he said jumping out of the car.

"What?" I said getting out after him. He didn't answer and took off across the parking lot.

I grabbed the keys from the ignition and popped the trunk grabbing two shotguns. When I closed the trunk and started in the direction Dean had gone the sound of shattering glass came from the motel. I looked to see it was Sam's window that had busted. Someone was shooting. I ducked behind the car and tried peeking over the hood to find where it was coming from.

The shots stopped and I stood and ran to the motel room where Sam was since I didn't know where Dean had gone.

"Sam?"

"Red? What the hell?" Sam said peeking over the table with the girl.

"I don't know. Me and Dean came to find you and then Dean jumped out of the car running towards something he saw and then the shooting started."

"Which way did he go?"

"This way. Across the parking lot," I said heading in the directions Dean had gone. I handed Sam the other shotgun and we started searching for Dean.

"What's going on?" the girl asked.

"Uh, hey. I'm Robin," I said not knowing where to start explaining the situation.

"Ava," she answered warily as we climbed steps to a rooftop. "Wait, I don't understand. Shouldn't we be talking to the cops?"

"Trust me, that wouldn't do us much good," Sam told her.

"Sam," I said kneeling and picking up a shell on the ground. Sam came over and I handed it to him.

"These are .223 caliber. Subsonic rounds. The guy must have put a suppressor on the rifle."

"Serious business."

"Dude, who are you?" Ava asked.

"Oh, I just, uh, I just watch a lot of TJ Hooker," Sam covered.

"Try calling Dean."

"Yeah," Sam said pulling out his phone.

"Who?" Ava asked.

"Dean!" Sam said when Dean answered. My shoulders relaxed knowing he was okay. "Yeah. Where are you?… Yeah. Sure." Sam hung up.

"Is he okay then?" I asked.

"No. He said funky town."

"What?" Ava asked again.

"Do you know where he is?" I asked ignoring her.

"Yeah. 5637 Monroe Street."

"Let's go," I said heading back down the stairs.

"What does funky town mean?" Ava asked.

"Mean's someone's got a gun to my brother's head."

"Funky town?"

"He thought of it," Sam said embarrassed. I laughed.

Sam brought Ava to her car to send her home and I looked up Monroe Street on the map.

We parked the car down the street and walked up to the abandoned house. Sam went to scope out the house and then came back to tell me the plan.

"It's Gordon."

"Gordon Walker?" I asked feeling my anger rise.

"Yeah. But he doesn't know you're here. He thinks it's just me and Dean. He's sitting in the front with Dean. I'll go in the back and when he gets up to come after me you go in the front and free Dean. Okay?"

"Got it." Sam turned to head back towards the house and I stopped him. "Sam, remember what Ava said. About those visions. Be careful."

"You too," Sam said and pulled me to him and kissed me on the forehead as a good luck.

I headed to the front of the house and sat in the bushes looking through the window waiting for Gordon to move. He had Dean tied to a chair and gagged.

An explosion shook the house and Dean yelled through his gag at Gordon. But, Gordon didn't move. I knew this is what Ava had seen in her vision and Sam was prepared.

Another explosion sounded this time sending chunks of the wall behind Dean over his head. This time Gordon slowly stood and walked to the back of the house with his rifle held to his shoulder. Dean struggled in his chair trying to break free from the ropes.

I ran across the yard and quietly picked the lock trying not to alert Gordon back to the front room. The door swung open and Dean's eyes widened when he saw me. He struggled to speak but I held a finger up to my lips to silence him. I mouthed 'It's okay. Sam's okay' as I neared him and he stopped struggling but still looked terrified.

I knelt behind the chair to saw through the ropes with my knife when I heard a floorboard creak behind me. I froze when I felt the gun at the back of my head.

"Should have know you'd be here too, Little Red Riding Hood. Drop the knife. I'd hate to blow your pretty face off."

I let out a sigh and let the knife fall from my hands and hit the floor. I raised my arms above my head. Where was Sam? Dean was cussing behind the bandana in his mouth and jerking at the ropes. I heard another gun cock and smiled.

"Drop the gun," Sam demanded.

"I've got a gun held to your pretty companions head. You sure you wanna play who's the quicker draw?" Gordon said calmly.

"Put it down now!"

"You wouldn't shoot me, would you, Sammy? Because your brother, he thinks you're some kind of saint."

"Yeah? Well, I wouldn't be so sure."

"See, that's what I said," Gordon said before I felt the butt of his gun hit the back of my head.

I fell on all fours and grabbed the chair Dean was in to steady my dizzy head. My eyesight was gone but I felt around for the knife I knew was near me. Everything started to come back into focus and I gripped the knife while Gordon and Sam fought somewhere behind me.

I sawed through the ropes I could and once Dean had his hands free he took the knife and freed his legs running into the room where Gordon and Sam were. I reached for my shotgun and tried standing but by the time I was on two legs Sam and Dean were walking back in the room finished with Gordon.

"Did you kill him?" I slurred.

"No. But I'm about to," Dean said walking over and grabbing his gun from a table where Gordon had put it.

"Dean. No," Sam said stopping him.

"I let him live once. I'm not making the same mistake twice."

"Trust me. Gordon's taken care of. Come on," Sam said pulling Dean away from where Gordon was and then wrapping an arm around me to help me walk.

"Thanks, Sammy," I said leaning on him.

We walked out of the house and Dean took me from Sam since Sam was injured himself. We were crossing the yard when a gunshot rang out behind us. We ducked and then took off running. I didn't have to turn around to know it was Gordon. Dean grabbed my hand pulling me behind him.

"You call this taken care of?" Dean said before throwing me down in a ditch. He landed beside me and then Sam dove in after us. "What the hell are we doing?"

"Just trust me on this, all right?"

Police sirens pierced through the air and the gunshots stopped. I peeked over the ditch and saw squad cars surrounding Gordon.

"Drop your weapons! Get down on your knees!" they yelled. Gordon complied and glared in our direction. The cops cuffed Gordon and patted him down before shoving him in the back seat of a cop car. We watched as they found his weapons rack in his car.

"Anonymous tip," Sam said smiling.

"You're a fine upstanding citizen, Sam."

"Well, this is fantastic. But, can we get me some ice?" I said holding my head.

"Let's get out of here," Dean said helping me up and we all snuck away back to the Impala.

"I gotta head to Bobby's," I said once we were back at the car.

"Why?" Sam asked.

"I stiffed him on a hunt I told him I'd help out with. Just drop me off at a car. Preferably one that looks like it has heat."

Dean pulled up in a parking lot of a high school. There must've been a basketball game going on.

"See you guys on the flip side," I said grabbing my bag and getting out. Dean got out too.

"Hey, Red," he said stopping me. I turned from the Volkswagen I'd chosen.

"Yeah?" He walked over to me and I could see Sam looking at a map in the car not paying us any attention.

"Thanks for coming out."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Be careful going to Bobby's. Your head okay to drive?"

"As well as it can be."

"Call when you get there," he said and pulled me to him in a quick hug.

"You be careful too. Keep me updated. I'll meet up with you in a few weeks."

Dean went back to the Impala and I jimmied the lock open on the car and hot-wired it to life.


	13. Born Under A Bad Sign

I finished the job with Bobby without a hitch. It took about a week for us to finish and then I took a few days off at the house to clean up after Bobby who had been by himself too long. I had talked to the boys and they'd apparently gotten into some bad stuff with the FBI and were now on the run and trying to lay low so it was best for me to stay away for a while.

I couldn't stay at Bobby's that whole time though. Eventually I found a hunt in Minnesota and borrowed one of Bobby's cars to head out there. It was an easy hunt and I had it finished within a weekend and checked into a motel by the river to relax that night before headed back to Bobby's.

I had just settled down in the bed after a shower when a knock sounded on the door. I grabbed my pistol and cracked the door with the chain still on to see who it was. I relaxed when I saw Sam standing on the other side.

"Sammy?" I said setting the gun down and unlocking the door letting him in. I hugged him and closed the door behind him. "What are you doing here?"

"Came to see you."

"How'd you know where I was? Bobby?"

"Yeah."

"Where's Dean?" I asked pulling two beers from the fridge. I sat them down on the table and Sam and I each took a seat.

"Couldn't make it."

"What's that mean? Are you two fighting again?"

"I just thought I'd come hunt with you for a while. He's fine on his own."

"Does he know where you are? Or is he halfway across the country calling everyone he knows looking for you?"

"Why does it matter so much? Dean's a dick."

"Sam," I started but he stopped me.

"But you don't think that do you?"

"Neither do you Sam. You're just upset. He's your brother."

"No. I mean you and Dean. You want something there," Sam said softly. I stared at Sam for a long moment without answering trying to gage what he was doing. "You know he doesn't think like that about you." I took a drink of my beer never taking my eyes off Sam's.

"Sam, what's going on?"

"I know you guys had that whole two years to yourselves and all but I know him better than anyone, Red. He's my brother. And I know you're wasting your time. I mean Dean likes you. Loves you even. But, like a sister."

"If you're trying to bring back the old heart to hearts from our childhood then you're starting in the wrong place, Sammy."

"I mean it, Red. Sometime's he feels like you suffocate him. And you need someone who doesn't think that way. That really loves you."

"I'm seriously going to throw up if you don't stop, Winchester," I said sipping from my beer again. I froze when he grabbed my hand.

"Robin, I do. I really love you." I jerked my hand away but he wouldn't let it go.

"Cut it out, Sam."

"I'm not joking. I have since we were kids. But you've always been so preoccupied with Dean you never even noticed," Sam said getting frustrated.

"Somethings wrong with you," I said suspiciously. "You're not Sam."

I moved towards a flask of holy water next to me but Sam stood quickly and grabbed me shoving my face into the wall before I could. He was too big for me to fight against. He had one of my arms twisted behind my back and the other raised above my head.

"You're right. Sam's not making the calls at the moment. But I can still see what he thinks. What he knows. And what he said about Dean, it's true," Sam said in a cadence that wasn't normal. I could feel him breathing in my ear and my lip twitched in anger.

"He's possessed then?"

"Maybe. That's not important."

"Get the hell out of him. Leave him alone."

"Oh, Red. It doesn't work like that."

I was jerked backwards and then foreword again hitting my head on the wall and knocking me unconscious.

When I came to I was sitting in a chair and Sam was tying me up. I rolled my head around trying to see him.

"What the hell do you want?"

"Just to play," he said in a sing-song voice.

"You've picked the wrong people to play with. This won't end well for you."

"Oh, yeah? Why's that? You're tied up, Sam's, well, not available. You think Dean's coming to save you?"

"You know it too."

"Don't be so sure. You see even if he does show up it won't be to save you. It'll be to save Sam."

"Well, I'm not much of a damsel in distress anyway."

"Good. All Dean's ever seen you as is good bait. Let's see about that," Sam said and stuffed a rag in my mouth tying it around my head so I couldn't talk. I cussed him through the cloth but he only laughed circling me with a knife.

The door burst open and I twisted to see Dean enter the motel room with a gun pointed at Sam.

"Sam!" he yelled glancing between me and his brother. Sam shoved the knife against my neck, nicking the skin slightly.

"I begged you to stop me, Dean!" Sam yelled out desperately to sound like Sam to his brother.

"Put the knife down, dammit."

"I told you I can't fight it! My head feels like it's on fire, all right? Dean. Kill me, or I'm gonna kill her. Please! You'd be doing me a favor! Shoot me!" Sam held his arms out by his side and I gave Dean a subtle shake of my head when he shot me a glance, letting him know it wasn't Sam. "Shoot me!"

"No, Sammy, come on," Dean said calmly. Dean lowered the gun and turned away from us towards the door.

"What the hell's wrong with you, Dean?" Sam yelled. "Are you that scared of being alone that you'd rather let Robin die?"

Dean turned suddenly with a flask in his hand sending holy water across Sam's face. The water steamed off his face and he jerked back as it burned him.

"That's holy water, you demonic son of a bitch!"

Dean flung more holy water on him and Sam took off jumping out of the back window and onto the dock below. Dean rushed over and cut the ropes holding me to the chair and removed the rag from my mouth.

"You okay?" he asked hurriedly.

"Yeah, go!" I said bending to untie my legs.

Dean ran off to climb through the window and lept down to follow after Sam. I jumped up once I was free and grabbed my own holy water stuffing it into my jacket. I went out the front door hoping to catch Sam as he came around.

I heard a gunshot around the back of the building and took off in that direction. I didn't have a gun with me because I refused to shoot Sam. And I knew Dean wouldn't shoot him either which meant it was Dean who had been shot at.

By the time I got around to the back the dock was empty. I walked along it looking between the buildings and behind crates.

"Dean!" I yelled walking towards the pier. I pulled my phone out and dialed his number. "Dean!" I continued to yell but not answer to either of my calls. I dialed again and walked down to the water before I heard his phone ringing.

I paused looking around before I spotted his figure laying in a lump on the ground at the waters edge. I dropped down off the upper layer of the dock and ran over to him.

"Dean!" I landed on my knees next to him and rolled him over praying he was still alive. I let out a sigh of relief when he jerked awake coughing. His hand immediately went to his shoulder and he was soaking wet from being in the water.

"Where's Sam?" he groaned out.

"Hell if I know. I heard a gunshot and just found you. He was gone. Come on. Let's get you inside."

I helped Dean stand up and he leaned on me soaking me as well. He clutched his shoulder all the way back to the motel room. I left him in the room and went out to the Impala to get his bag out of the trunk.

I cut the shirt off Dean so he wouldn't have to move his arm and pulled out a bottle of whiskey from his bag setting it in front of him. I took a bag of medical supplies from my bag and started digging the bullet out.

"Son of a-" Dean gritted out.

"Keep still. I've almost got it."

"God!"

"Got it," I said pulling the bullet free and dropping it on the table. Next I cleaned the wound with alcohol while Dean gulped down the whiskey I'd set next to him.

"You done?" Dean asked standing. I shoved him back in the chair.

"No. You need to get sewn up."

"Red. We don't have time."

"Where do you think Sam will go next?"

"I figure since he came here to get you he'd go to Bobby next."

"Then we'll call Bobby on the way and warn him." Dean huffed but I started sewing him up anyway. Once he was patched up I threw Dean some dry clothes to change into and started throwing my things into my bag.

"Want me to drive?" I asked when we walked into the parking lot.

"Hell no," Dean said opening the drivers side door and getting in. I shrugged and got in the passenger seat.

I tried calling Bobby but the call wouldn't go through.

"Sam must've disconnected the line. It won't go through."

"Dammit," Dean hissed.

"Bobby knows Sam. He'll figure it out."

"I didn't."

"You thought he'd gone dark side?"

"Yeah." Dean remained quiet for a while staring out the windshield. "How'd you figure it out?" I let out a short laugh.

"He was saying things Sam would never say."

"Like what?" I shook my head.

"Doesn't matter." Neither of us said anything for a few more miles. "Dean, do you think that demon could get into Sam's head? Figure out things he knew?"

"What did he say to you, Robin?" I took that as a yes and didn't answer Dean.

I don't even know why it bothered me. Of course the demon had been right. I guess I'd loved Dean since I was old enough to understand it. But, I always knew better than to think on it. Our lives weren't something you'd find in a romance novel. Besides, I knew Dean and I knew how he was with every girl he'd ever known. That was reason enough to stay away.

"Why didn't you call me?" I asked changing the subject.

"I called Bobby. He said you were on a hunt. I figured you'd have called if Sam contacted you. I didn't want to worry you." _Or you didn't want me suffocating you. _

"Right."

When we got to Bobby's we saw the car Sam had been driving parked out front. I jumped out of the car before Dean had it in park and started towards the house.

"Wait up, Red!" Dean said coming after me. I didn't wait and instead opened the front door without knocking rushing in.

"Well, hello there, Robin," Bobby said looking at me surprised. He had a beer in his hand and I could see Sam tied up in the living room under the devils trap.

"Guess you got everything under control."

"How was your trip?" he asked and Dean joined us.

"Good. Everything went smooth. Well, you know, until demon possessed Sam showed up."

"Let's wake him up," Dean said walking past us. He walked up to Sam's unconscious form and slapped him across the face. "Hey!"

Sam jerked awake and looked around wildly for a moment before he focused on the devils trap above his head. His gaze lowered to meet Dean's.

"Dean. Back from the dead. Getting to be a regular thing for you, isn't it? Like a cockroach."

"How about I smack that smartass right out of your mouth?"

"Oh, careful, now. Wouldn't want to bruise this fine packaging.

"Oh don't worry," Dean said turning and picking up a bucket of holy water Bobby had next to the trap. "This isn't gonna hurt Sam much. You, on the other hand," Dean tossed the water on Sam and it sizzled off while the demon roared in pain. "Feel like talking now?"

"Sam's still my meat puppet. I'll make him bite off his tongue," the demon hissed.

"No, you won't be in him long enough. Bobby," Dean said nodding and Bobby starting reading the latin exorcism from a book. I stood back watching since Dean seemed like he had some anger to get out. "See, whatever bitch-boy master plan you demons are cookin up, you're not getting Sam. You understand me? Cause I'm gonna kill every one of you first." The demon struggled for a bit and then threw his head back laughing causing Bobby to stop reading in surprise.

"You really think that's what this is about? The master plan? I don't give a rat's as about the master plan," the demon bit out. Bobby started reading again. "Oops. Doesn't seem to be working. See, I learned a few new tricks."

The demon lowered his head and started speaking latin. The fire in the fire place shot up and the room shook. I jerked away from the wall I had been leaning on.

"This isn't going like I pictured! What's going on, Bobby?" Dean growled.

"There was something burned into his arm!" I said pointing to his forearm where I remembered seeing the mark earlier. Bobby grabbed Sam's arm to look at the burn.

"It's a binding link!" Bobby yelled over the roar rumbling through the house. "It's like a lock! He's locked himself inside Sam's body!"

"What the hell do we do?"

"I don't know!"

The demon threw his head back and screamed. The ceiling cracked and the devil's trap cracked. The demon lowered his head and his eyes were now black.

"There. That's better," he said and threw me and Bobby into the walls before sending Dean into one too. I slumped to the floor and watched the demon break free from the restraints and walked towards Dean. I looked around for a weapon but all I saw were books. Bobby sat a few feet away from me unconscious.

I could hear the demon talking to Dean but couldn't focus on what was being said for the spinning of my own head. Instead all I could focus on was finding something to hurt the demon with. I could hear the occasional thud of the demon punching Dean as I rolled onto my hands and knees as quietly as I could. My eyes settled on the fireplace and I crawled over and stuck a iron poker in it until it was red hot.

I stood and tiptoed over to the demon who had Dean pinned to the wall. Dean was bleeding from a cut on his face and his nose and the demon had his thumb shoved in the gunshot wound from earlier. When the demon reared back to punch Dean again I grabbed his arms and burned through the binding mark breaking the spell.

The demon let out a scream and black smoke poured from Sam's mouth and flew out of the house through the fireplace. Sam's body slumped to the ground and I set the poker back up by the fireplace. Sam got up and looked around the room wildly at us. Bobby was sitting up watching the scene from the other side of the room.

"Sammy?" Dean asked weakly. Sam looked at him confused.

"Did I miss anything?"

Dean paused looking at his brother for a moment before punching him across the face. Sam grabbed his face in shock and Dean fell to the floor with a groan grabbing at his wounded shoulder.

I rolled my eyes from my spot leaned against Bobby's desk. "Boys," I muttered.

I helped Bobby up and then Sam and Dean over to the couch. Bobby brought over a few bags of ice and a medical kit and handed them to me.

"Where's it hurt Sam?" I asked sitting next to him.

"My arm. Other than that I'm fine. Except for my cheek. Thanks asshole," he said to Dean.

"I'm the one in pain, Red," Dean said throwing his good arm up. I handed Sam an icepack and then scooted over next to Dean on the other side of the couch and handed him a bag of ice. I pulled the jacket away from his shoulder to see his shirt was soaked in blood.

"Great. Tore the stitches."

"Told you I didn't need them earlier."

"If you don't shut up I'll make sure it hurts twice as much this time."

"What is it, Bobby?" Sam asked and I turned from working on Dean to see Bobby standing in the doorway looking concerned.

"You boys ever hear of a hunter named Steve Wandell?" he asked. I looked between Sam and Dean confused and they glanced between each other.

"Why do you ask?" Dean said.

"Just heard from a friend. Wandell's dead. Murdered in his own home. You would't know anything about that."

"No sir," Dean confirmed. "Never heard of the guy."

"Dean-" Sam tried.

"Good. Keep it that way. Wandell's buddies are looking for someone or something to string up, and they're not going to slow down to listen to reason. You understand what I'm saying?" Bobby told the boys and I fit the pieces together in my head. I hadn't been the first hunter Sam had stopped by to see. He'd found Wandell and killed him while possessed.

"We better hit the road," Dean said standing once I finished tapping the bandages to him. I slid back in the couch while Sam stood to join his brother. "You not coming?" Dean asked raising an eyebrow at me. Sam looked between me and Dean and then his eyes widened as he remembered something.

"Red, can I talk to you?" Sam asked. "Alone for a moment?"

"Sure," I said and followed Sam outside.

"Robin, I remember what it told you."

"Sam, it's not a big deal."

"Well, it's not true either. None of it actually." I raised an eyebrow at him. "First of all, you know I'm not in love with you. No offense."

"Of course."

"But what it said about Dean wasn't true."

"Oh come on. I've had enough of this high school drama shit," I said and turned to go back inside.

"Robin," Sam said grabbing my arm and stopping me. "Come with us. Dean can't stand being apart from you. He doesn't say it but I promise he cares a lot more than he lets on."

"Just stop talking about it!" I said closing my eyes and shaking my head trying to make it all go away. "I'll meet up with you guys in a few weeks but if you speak a word of this, what the demon said, this conversation, any of it, to Dean I'll cut your toes off."

"Got it," Sam said nodding quickly.

We went back inside and Dean and Bobby were sitting at his desk across from each other. They looked up when we walked in.

"Alright. We'll see ya later Bobby," Dean said getting up.

"Here. Take these," Bobby said handing a charm to each of us. I turned it over in my hand looking at it.

"What are they?" Sam asked.

"Charms. They'll fend off possession. That demon's still out there. This'll stop it from getting back up in ya."

"That sounds vaguely dirty, but uh, thanks."

"Screw the necklace. I'm getting this bitch tattooed on after that incident," I said holding the charm up to study.

"That's a good idea," Dean said. "Come on. We'll stop by a tattoo shop on the way out."

"Oh, I'm gonna hang out at Bobby's for a while actually," I said stopping Dean as he went to the door.

"Oh," he spoke. "Then, uh, me and Sammy will just stick to the necklaces until you're with us. We'll make it a family affair."

"I'm not getting a damn tattoo," Bobby mumbled.

"Alright. See you two later then," I said turning to hug Sam. "Be careful, Sammy."

"You too, Robin." Dean walked over after Sam released me and gathered me up for a quick goodbye.

"Go easy on the shoulder, Dean."

"Yes, ma'am," he said winking and handing me the ice pack back.

"Are you okay, Red?" Bobby asked after they left.

"Yeah?"

"Dean said you were acting off after your encounter with Sam."

"I'm fine. Geez." Bobby gave me a look that said he didn't believe a word of it. "That talk with Sam outside cleared everything up. Don't worry."

"I always worry about you. Those boys do too."

"I don't know why."


	14. Folsom Prison Tall Tales

A few weeks passed and Bobby got a call from the boys asking him to come out to Ohio to help them with something. They wouldn't tell him what over the phone though. Bobby and I packed up a car and headed to meet them.

We arrived to the boys arguing and when they finally set us down to explain what was happening I spent most of my time hiding my smile. Apparently they were dealing with a trickster that had them running in circles researching these crazy occurrences that had happened on a college campus, all the while turning the brothers on each other by messing with their stuff.

The boys told the story and Bobby tried desperately to keep them on track. He would elbow me periodically to calm my laughter.

"It's not food anymore, Dean. It's Darwinism," Sam complained to his brother at one point.

"Darwinism," I snickered to Bobby listening to the tale. Finally the boys came to the end of the story and Bobby stood back staring at them.

"I'm surprised at you two. I really am. Sam, first off, Dean did not steal your computer."

"But I-" Bobby held a hand up stopping Sam.

"And, Dean, Sam did not touch your car."

"Yeah!" Sam said to Dean.

"And if you two bothered to pull your heads outta your asses, it all would have been pretty clear."

"What?" Dean asked confused.

"What you're dealing with."

"Uh…" Sam thought. The boys looked around confused trying to come up with an answer. I sat back on a bed giggling.

"I got nothing," Dean finally said.

"Me neither."

"You got a trickster on your hands," Bobby said. Dean snapped his fingers smiling.

"That's what I thought."

"What? No, you didn't!" Sam accused.

The boys figured out who the trickster was and we formed a plan. Dean headed into the room where the trickster was and me, Sam, and Bobby followed once he gave the signal. We ended up getting our asses kicked by some strippers and men with chainsaws but Dean staked the trickster and we called it a day.

I left with the boys after that sending Bobby back to South Dakota alone. Dean hadn't forgotten that we were all scheduled to get matching tattoos during our next outing and that's where he steered the Impala to.

We pulled up outside the tattoo shop and I sat in the backseat biting my lip staring up at the sign. Sam and Dean got out and I followed a little slower. Dean showed his charm to one of the artist and he gave us a price.

There were two artists available and Sam went with one and Dean with the other while I sat in the waiting area out front. I flipped through a magazine and a book of tattoo's.

"Your first tattoo?" A woman asked sitting across from me. She had pink spiked hair and gages in her ears. Her arms were covered from fingers to beyond her sleeves in tattoos.

"Yeah. Does it hurt?" I asked eying her arms.

"Depends on where you get it."

"Where does it hurt the least?"

"The more fat in the area the better. Anything directly on bone is gonna hurt."

"Right."

"Your turn, Red," Dean said walking out rubbing at his chest lightly.

"Was it bad?" I asked.

"Nah. Remember, not on the limbs. We don't want it getting cut off," he said as I passed.

I walked in and the artist was waiting for me.

"Same as your boyfriend?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah."

"Where do you want it?" I gulped.

"What do you suggest?"

"Be hot on your shoulder blade."

"Does that hurt?"

"You afraid?"

"Little bit, yeah," I said staring at the tattoo gun. "This is all sanitized right?" The man laughed.

"Yes, sweetheart. Why don't you take your shirt off and sit with your chest against this and I'll go get your boyfriend to hold your hand."

"Oh, that'll make it better," I said sarcastically as he left. I took my shirt off and slid my bra strap off and sat down in the chair like he said so he could easily get to my shoulder.

"What do you mean she's scared?" Dean asked as he walked in. "You're not scared are you, Red?"

"Just sit your ass down, Winchester," I snapped. "Should've gotten Sam."

"I can't believe this," Dean said smiling.

"Let me see yours. Make sure he knows how to color inside the lines," I said earning an offended 'hey' from the tattoo guy. Dean sighed and lifted his shirt peeling away the plastic over the top of it. It was irritated and red but the lines were neat and it did look pretty badass. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

The tattoo artist laid a gloved hand on my back and I reached out and gripped Dean's hand.

"He hasn't even started yet," Dean complained.

"Just relax, honey," the man said.

"Yeah. Relax," Dean said wincing at his hand.

He started on my tattoo but I never let loose of Dean's hand. He'd say something rude every so often and I'd cuss him but honestly it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Finally, it was finished and the tattoo artist wrapped it up and told me I was done.

I sat up and gestured for Dean to hand me my shirt while the guy told me how to care for it. Dean grabbed my shirt but paused before giving it to me giving my boobs a grin. I jerked the shirt out of his hand and pulled it over my head wincing when the movement caused the tender skin to sting.

"Let's see if your other buddy is done," the artist said and we left the room.

Sam was sitting in the waiting room checking stuff on his phone. Dean paid the man and we left.

"Robin is a total pussy," Dean said once we got in the car.

"Go to hell."

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"She cried like a baby."

"You are such a liar Dean Winchester!"

"She was squeezing my hand like she was having a damn baby."

"Aw. Robin," Sam said in a baby voice. "Did it hewrt?"

I gave him an unammused look and leaned forward and smacked them both on their fresh tattoos. The both jerked away hissing at the sting and I sat back on my good shoulder laughing.

About a month later, Dean got a phone call from one of John's old friends from the Marines. He needed some help with a spirit in the prison he was now the warden of. So, Dean's bright idea on how to find it was to get arrested. I, of course, couldn't come along since I would have just been sent to a woman's correctional center anyway.

Instead I dropped the boys off outside the Arkansas Museum of Anthropology. They were going to get caught so this was the last I'd see of them for a few days. Dean handed me the keys and I took his spot in the front seat.

"See ya soon, Red," Sam said patting the window frame beside me.

"Good luck," I winked at him. Dean stepped up to the window next.

"Here," Dean said handing me his necklace and ring. "Keep up with those for me would ya?"

"Sure thing," I said stuffing them in my pocket.

"And please be careful with her," he said patting the Impala. I rolled my eyes. "We'll be in touch." He ducked in the window and placed a kiss on my forehead and turned running after Sam.

I drove off and checked myself into a motel. I kept my phone close and the scanner turned on. I heard the call come through and knew they were now in cuffs.

A few hours later a got a phone call.

"Hey, it's Sam."

"You guys booked?" I asked.

"Yeah. You're my one phone call. Dean called Deacon. He's going to let you know when it's the all clear to come get us. I just hope we can get this done soon cause it looks like we've got more trouble than we thought."

"What's that mean?"

"30 seconds!" I heard someone say to Sam.

"Henriksen is here. The fed from Milwaukee."

"Great. Are you still getting sent to Green River?"

"Yeah. I gotta go. Deacon will be in touch."

"Don't drop the soap!"

"Shut up," Sam muttered and hung up.

It was close to a week later by the time Deacon called me. I was bored out of my head and had us a hunt completely researched and planned for when the boys got out. Needless to say, when Deacon told me to come pick them up I flew to the prison. I parked the Impala around the back of the building facing the road for a quick escape.

I watched them exit the prison from an employee entrance and I got out of the drivers seat to get in the back.

"Oh, man, are you a sight for sore eyes," Dean said to the Impala.

"I know. Mmm. You look sexy in orange," I said winking at Dean.

"I know," he said giving me a flirty grin back. I rolled my eyes at his conceited self. "You know, I almost wish I could see Henriksen's face."

"Really? Cause I'd be happy if I never saw him again," Sam said. "I mean, we're not really out of the woods yet, Dean."

"Yeah," Dean said as he and sam pulled on their jackets over the orange jumpsuits. An alarm sounded from the prison and red lights started to flash above the doors. "Good point."

We jumped into the Impala and Dean sped away from the prison. We headed towards a cemetery where the spirits body was buried and the boys got the shovels out of the trunk while I started looking for the grave. Once we found it I held the flashlight while they dug. We had to hurry since Henrikson was probably questioning their lawyer for information.

Once they hit the coffin they opened it up and salted and burned the body. We made our way back to the car and stowed the shovels back in the trunk.

"You thought we were screwed before?" Sam said to Dean as we got in the car.

"Yeah, I know. We go to go deep this time."

"'Deep', Dean? We should go to Yemen."

"Ooh, I'm- I'm not sure I'm ready to go that deep."

"Well what about Illinois?" I asked from the backseat.

"Huh?" Dean asked.

"I got us a case. Looks like it's probably a Djinn. In Joliet Illinois."

"Well then let's go."


	15. What Is And What Should Never Be

Sam and I were at our motel room in Joliet with books spread across the table opened up to anything we could find on Djinn. Sam's laptop sat open with several tabs open as well. Dean had gone out to get us some burgers while we tried to find out where the Djinn we were dealing with was hiding.

"Sam," I said nudging him and gesturing to the window where a cop car sat in the parking lot with it's lights on. Sam got up and went over to the window to look out. "Call Dean and tell him to take his time. We don't need him pulling up in the Impala with a cop outside."

"Yeah," Sam said pulling his phone out and calling Dean. "There's a cop car outside… I don't know." The cop car drove off and I let out a sigh of relief. "They're leaving. False alarm… Yeah, being fugitives? Friggin dance party…." I flipped through a book listening to Sam's half of the conversation. "We found out the Djinn usually hide in ruins. We were thinking we'd start searching around where the victims disappeared… no, no, no, no, no. Come pick us up first."

Sam sighed and lowered the phone from his ear hanging up.

"What?"

"Dean's going to check out some place for the Djinn."

"With no back up? Is he stupid?"

"Uh, it's Dean," Sam said.

"Right. Guess we'll just keep looking here." I pulled out a map circling the areas where people disappeared. "I was really wanting a cheeseburger too."

"We need to go look for him," Sam said after an hour had passed and Dean wasn't answering his phone.

"Where do we start?"

"It had to be someplace between here and the burger place. Is there somewhere on the map?" I looked at the map and followed the route between the motel and the restaurant. There was one report of a missing person near it.

"Yeah. Let's look for an abandoned building. Come on," I said grabbing my coat and tossing it on.

Sam hot-wired a car and we drove off towards the burger shop.

"Go down that road," I said pointing down a side road that led into a rural part of town. Sam steered the car down the road and we ended up parked outside an abandoned warehouse. The Impala sat outside.

"Come on," Sam said jumping out of the car. I followed with my gun at my side.

We searched through the building quickly and I could smell the correct room before we found it. In a large room in the back of the building was were the Djinn kept it's victims. Rotting corpses hang from their arms in the middle. I spotted Dean and rushed over to him. He was hanging by his arms like the others and was hooked up to an IV bag where his blood was being drained. His eyes were open but he wasn't conscious. At least not enough to see me.

Sam ran up and shook Dean trying to wake him.

"Dean!" he yelled shaking his brother. "Come on! Wake up! Wake up, damn it!" Dean stirred letting out a whimper as his eyes focused on Sam. "Hey, hey."

"Ahh… Auntie Em. There's no place like home," Dean said with a smile.

"Thank God," I breathed. Dean let his eyes move over to me and he gave me a sad weak smile.

"Thought we'd lost you for a second," Sam said and pulled the needle out of Dean's neck.

"You almost did."

"Let's get you down," Sam said pulling his knife out. I held Dean against me to steady him and keep him from falling while Sam cut the ropes holding him up.

"Sam!" Dean yelled and I was thrown backward into a column. I landed with a thud on the ground and a shelf came down on top of me pinning me to the floor. I tried pushing it off of me but it was too heavy.

I looked around finding Sam fighting off the Djinn. I glanced back over to Dean to see him pulling, trying to snap the already frayed ropes. I struggled desperately with the shelf but it wouldn't budge.

Finally, the ropes holding Dean snapped and he picked up the knife Sam had dropped and ran over to stab the Djinn in the back. The Djinn fell to the ground and Dean fell back against the wall breathing heavily along with Sam.

"A little help?" I said breaking the moment they were having.

"Right," Sam said standing and helping me push the shelf away. Dean helped pull me up and once I was on my feet he grabbed both sides of my face and planted a kiss right on my lips.

"Yeah. I missed you too, Dean. That was rough hour without ya," I said patting him on the chest confused.

"I am so happy to see you, Red," he said smiling. His eyes focused on something behind me and his smile fell as he walked past me. I turned to see him walk up to a girl hanging in the room. He checked her neck for a pulse.

"She's still alive!" he said handing the knife to Sam to cut her down. Dean pulled the needle out of her neck and Sam cut the ropes. "I gotcha. I gotcha. We're gonna get you out of here, okay?"

We took the girl out of the building and slid her in the backseat. Sam refused to let Dean drive and after he got behind the wheel we headed to the hospital. I ran in to get a wheelchair and after we wheeled her in and got her to the doctors Sam asked that they call when they found anything out. Dean refused to see a doctor stating he was fine.

"So what happened?" Sam asked on the drive back to the motel.

"The Djinn. It granted my wish. Sort of."

"What do you mean?"

"I guess it read my mind or something. I never said it out loud but it attacked me in the warehouse and I woke up in Lawrence."

"Lawrence?"

"My wish was that mom never died. It was great. Except that I kept seeing this weird girl everywhere and then she would just disappear. Then I saw dead bodies hanging in my closet. I finally figured it out. The Djinn didn't grant you a wish. It just put you in a state where you thought it did while it drained the life out of you. I stabbed myself to wake up."

"Yikes," I said wincing.

"But everything was good? Our lives would have all turned out okay if mom had lived?" Sam asked. Deans eyes met mine through the rearview but he quickly looked away.

"Mostly. Me and you didn't exactly get along, Sam."

We pulled up at the motel and filed inside. Sam got a phone call as we walked in. Dean took a seat on the edge of the bed and picked up a magazine flipping through it. I sat next to him with a cloth to dab away the blood on his neck and forehead. Dean let out a laugh and I looked down to see what was so funny.

"What? Your favorite beer?" I asked looking at the ad. Dean turned to me and his face softened.

"Yeah. It is. You know me pretty well," he said distantly before snapping out of it. "Uh, this girl. She was my girlfriend. Guess it was a fantasy."

"Hmm," I hummed feeling slightly hurt as Sam hung up the phone.

"That was the hospital. Girl's been stabilized. Good chance she's gonna pull through," Sam told us.

"That's good," Dean said.

"Yeah. How bout you? You all right?"

"Yeah," Dean said clearing his throat. "Yeah, I'm all right. You should have seen it, Sam. Our lives. You were such a wussy." The brother shared a laugh and I backed away to sit against the headboard giving them some space.

"So we didn't get along then, huh?"

"Nah."

"Yeah… I thought it was supposed to be this perfect fantasy."

"It wasn't. It was just a wish. I wished for Mom to live. That Mom never died, we never went hunting and you and me just never… you know."

"Yeah. Well, I'm glad we do. And I'm glad you dug yourself out, Dean. Most people wouldn't've had the strength, would have just stayed."

"Yeah… Lucky me," Dean said but his face showed he wasn't feeling it. "I gotta tell you though, man. You know, you had Jess, Mom was gonna have grandkids…"

"Yeah, but… Dean… it wasn't real."

"I know. But I wanted to stay. I wanted to stay so bad. I mean, ever since Dad… all I can think about is how much this job's cost us. We've lost so much. We've sacrificed so much."

I looked down at my hands as I listened to Dean. There was nothing we could do to make that world real. Mary was dead. But if Dean had stayed he would have been happy. Happy with Miss Del Sol. But that would also mean he'd be dead. And me and Sam wouldn't have him anymore. And that might've been selfish of me but there was no bringing Mary back. Not really.

"But people are alive because of you," Sam spoke. Dean scoffed. "It's worth it, Dean. It is. It's not fair, and… you know, it hurts like hell, but… it's worth it."

"Yeah." We all sat quietly thinking this alternate timeline over.

"Well, after all that I don't really feel like eating those cold burgers. I'm going to get us some Chinese." I said standing and walking towards the door. "There's a restaurant about a block from here. What do you guys want?"

"I'll go with you," Dean said digging his keys out of his pocket.

I sat down in the passenger seat of the Impala glad I wasn't having to walk and carry Chinese a block now but Dean was going to be awkward to be around for a while.

"So what happened to me? You just keep giving me these uncomfortable looks and you haven't mentioned me once. I wasn't fat was I? Or a prostitute?" I asked Dean once we pulled onto the road.

"Nah," he answered like he didn't want to talk about but five minutes ago he'd been just fine with talking about it.

"Well then what?"

"Me and Sam didn't even know each other. All the people we ever saved were dead. All of them, Red."

"Yeah? That sucks," I said wondering why he was staring at me like I should understand something else.

"Robin, you were dead. We never saved you from that werewolf when you were seventeen."

"Oh."

"We weren't even friends. When I asked everyone where you were they didn't even know who 'Red' was. You were just Robin, the girl who died in the house next door with the rest of her family. But I was okay with that. I was okay with not being close to Sammy, with dad being dead. I was okay with you being dead. Because at least you never had to live this awful life. Sam was happy, mom was alive."

"Yeah. Must've been nice," I said turning to stare out the window. Learning about Miss Del Sol, his girlfriend had hurt. But Dean saying he was okay with me being dead was rough. I felt my jaw tense as I fought tears. One of the three people in my life that I had left was 'okay' with me being dead.

"Robin," Dean said pulling the car over. "I couldn't stay though. I knew it wasn't right."

"Yeah I know. You knew you were dying," I said refusing to look at him.

"No. All those people that died, you, I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't trade all those lives for Mom's. Or Jessica's."

I got out of the car and headed into the chinese place and ordered us a variety of stuff. Dean stood behind me in thought. I glanced up at him and he was staring at me.

"Snap out of it, Winchester," I said snapping my fingers in front of his face. "If you zone out again I'm bringing you to the hospital just to make sure."

"I'm okay."

Once we were back in the car I arranged the boxes of food in my lap and looked up but Dean hadn't put the car into drive. I looked over at him and he was staring again.

"That's it. Scoot over. We're going to see a doctor."

"Red, it's your turn."

"What?" I asked confused.

"I told you what happened with the Djinn, now you have to tell me what that demon said to you when it possessed Sam."

"What? That was months ago."

"I know. But it's been bothering you ever since."

"I never agreed to this game. Take me back to the motel so I can eat. I'm starving," I said shifting uncomfortably in my seat.

"Robin," Dean stated in a tone that let me know he wasn't moving the car until I told him.

"Dean, it's honestly not important. I'm over it."

"No you're not."

"Well it's none of your damn concern!" I yelled. Dean shifted around in his seat and jerked the bag of to-go boxes out of my lap setting them in floor.

"Robin, it's messing with you so it is my damn concern!" he growled back.

"I've already talked to Sam about it. He told me what it said wasn't true. So, yeah, I'm fine!"

"Then why is it still bothering you?"

"Who's to say it is? Maybe something else is bothering me!"

"Well then what is? Cause you haven't been the same for a while now, Robin! What is wrong?"

"You, Dean!" I snapped out. He looked at me confused. "You are the problem."

"What did I do?"

"You're just an ass," I said shaking my head and crossing my arms, sinking into the seat. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I would be better off dead."

"That's bothering you?" I didn't answer. "Robin, it's not that you'd be better off dead! It's that you'd be better off not knowing me or Sam!"

"Well, I disagree Dean. I can't imagine living some normal life. You and Sam and are the best things about my life and I would never wish you away. After knowing you both I couldn't live a life without you."

"That's because you've never lived a normal life," Dean said softer than before.

"No, Dean. It's because I have. I had a family and a house and I went to the same school for the majority of my life. I was normal. But the happiest moments of that normal life were when I heard this damn car coming up the road. I couldn't wait to see you and Sam again."

Dean didn't say anything. Instead he slowly turned away from me and reached for the ignition to start the car up.

"You want to know what the demon said to me?" I said stopping him. "It said you thought I was suffocating," I said quietly leaving out most of what the demon had said.

"That's why you've been staying with Bobby so much," Dean deduced.

"And then you go and tell me your life was great without me."

"Red," Dean started with pity in his voice.

"Just drive us back to the motel."

"No! Red, dammit, you're not suffocating me. What the hell? You know how awful it is when your at Bobby's? I can't stand it. I have Sam call you every night just so I know you're okay." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Son of a bitch," he mumbled opening his door. "Get out of the car!"

"What?"

"Get out of the car!" he demanded walking around to my side.

"Dean, what are you-" He jerked my door open and I jumped out ready to fight the 6'1 man.

"Come here," he said grabbing me and wrapping me up in his arms.

"Dean, what the hell!" I yelled trying to push him away.

"Hug it out," he explained and I could hear his smiled even though my face was shoved into his chest. I rolled my eyes at him.

My foster parents used to make us 'hug it out' when we were kids and we'd been fighting. I think it was just their cruel form of enjoyment.

"Dean, stop it," I said pushing him away even though I was already feeling better.

"Don't make me kiss you," he kidded. I froze in his arms wide eyed. "That's what I thought. You better now?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"You promise?" he said loosening his grip enough for me to look up at him.

"I swear, Dean," I grumbled childishly.

"Good. Now let's go, kiddo. Before the chinese gets cold." He let me go and smacked my ass before walking back to the drivers seat. I glared at him but in a playful way getting back in the car.

"Hey, and not a word to Sam that I brought back the 'hug it out' thing," Dean said pointing a finger at me.

"Not a word. I remember how much he liked it. He'll be using that method on everything from us to demons." Dean let out a loud laugh and started the car up taking us back to the motel.

"What took you guys so long?" Sam asked when we walked in.

"We got lost," Dean explained.

"It's just a block away," Sam stated slowly.

"Yeah?" Sam looked between us suspiciously and raised an eyebrow. "Oh come on! We'd have taken much longer if we were doing that!" Dean said taking a box of chinese from me. I rolled my eyes.

"Dean went the wrong direction and is really bad at listening to me on how to turn around," I lied.

"I can believe that," Sam said taking his own box of food.


	16. All Hell Breaks Loose

Dean drove up to the tiny diner that sat alone in the middle of nowhere. It was dark out and the ground was one giant puddle after the heavy rain earlier. We were in-between hunts having just finished one a few towns over.

"Not it!" me and Dean yelled once the car was in park. Sam sighed and turned to go get the food.

"Hey, don't forget the extra onion this time, huh?" Dean said handing Sam some cash.

"Dean," I groaned.

"Dude," Sam started. "We have to ride in the car with your extra onions." Dean gave Sam a grin showing he didn't care. Sam sighed and got out of the car.

"Hey! See if they've got any pie," Dean said but Sam just shut the door. "Bring me some pie! Love me some pie."

"We should go to Six Flags," I said from my spot in the back.

"Six Flags?" Dean said turning around to face me.

"Yeah! We never do anything fun like that. It'd be great." Dean didn't answer and just strummed his fingers across the back of the seat looking away. "Or are roller coasters too much like flying?"

"Shut up. I love roller coasters. I'll ride 'em all."

"Uh huh," I said smiling but my smile slipped when the radio started to break up. Dean reached down and fiddled with it but the radio just turned off completely. We looked between each other then into the cafe to see it was empty.

We jumped out of the car and ran to the diner. I drew my gun and walked in behind Dean. Customers lay against their tables in a puddle of their own blood, dead. The only sound was the radio and the burgers still cooking on the grill.

"Sam?" Dean called. No answer. We walked around the counter and the employee's lay behind it with their throats slit.

I turned around to give the diner another look over but none of the bodies were Sam. Dean opened the back door and called out for Sam again.

"Sulfur," he said catching my attention. We both ran back out the front door and towards the car. "Sam! Sammy!" Dean continued to yell. I dialed Sam's phone but there was no answer. "Dammit," Dean said pacing and yelling for Sam.

"Dean, he's not here," I said putting a hand on his shoulder to stop his pacing. He twisted around towards me.

"Where the hell did they take him?"

"I don't know, Dean. I don't even know where to start. So, we're going to need some help. Let's just get in the car and head towards Bobby's. I'll call him and have him meet us okay?"

"Yeah," Dean said calmly slightly.

"Come on. I'll call Ash too and have him do whatever it is he does."

"Okay. Yeah."

Once we were in the car and Dean was headed towards South Dakota I called Bobby and asked him to meet us at a halfway point with any information he had that might be useful. Next I called Ash and had him start a search for Sam. After that I called in the bodies at the diner.

Dean's knuckles were white on the steering wheel and his jaw was tense. He sped down the wet road and at this rate I'd have to call Bobby and tell him to meet us closer to his house.

"We'll find him, Dean."

"We don't even know where to start."

"Well we know it was a demon. Probably Yellow Eyes. So that's information."

The rest of the ride was mostly quiet. I felt helpless in the passenger seat waiting on calls from Bobby or Ash. Finally, we pulled off on the side of the road in front of Bobby's truck.

"Tell me you got something," Dean said coming around to the hood of the car where Bobby spread out a map.

"This is it," Bobby said. "All demonic signs and omens over the past month." I looked over the map. There was nothing.

"Are you joking? There's nothing here."

"Exactly."

"Well, come on, there's gotta be something. What about the, the, the normal, low-level stuff? You know, exorcisms. That kind of thing."

"That's what I'm telling you: there's nothing. It's completely quiet."

"Well, how are we supposed to look for Sam? What, do we just close our eyes and point?"

My phone started ringing in my pocket and I pulled it out to see it was Ash.

"Ash, what do you got?" I answered.

"Okay, listen, it's a big negatory on Sam," he started.

"Ash come on! You had to have found something!"

"I did. But I can't talk over the line."

"Why not?" I asked getting frustrated.

"Listen, you and Dean just need to get to the Roadhouse. I'll tell you here."

"We don't have time to just swing by the Roadhouse, Ash. Sam is missing."

"Make time, okay? Because this," Ash paused to talk to someone else and I rolled my eyes and looked up to see Dean and Bobby waiting to hear what was happening. "Not only does this almost definitely help you find Sam, this is, uh, it's huge. So get here. Now." Ash hung up.

"What?"

"We need to get to the Roadhouse. Ash has something. Huge apparently."

Bobby got in the Impala with us and I was stuck in the backseat again. We left Bobby's truck on the side of the road and headed to Nebraska.

We turned the corner off the road and the breath left my chest. I gripped the seat in front of me tightly.

"What the hell," Dean said bringing the car to a stop.

The Roadhouse was nothing more than a charred piece of the front exterior wall. The rest was a pile of rubble and ash on the ground. I fished out my phone and tried calling Ash on his cell hoping he was somewhere else but the call wouldn't go through. I tossed my phone into the seat and got out of the car.

Dean and Bobby approached the burned remains with me. We carefully walked through around the fallen beams.

"My god," Bobby spoke covering his mouth with his hand. The blackened bodies of hunters lay under the wreckage.

"You see Ellen?" Dean asked.

"No. No Ash, either." But as Bobby said it I caught a glimpse of something shiny and bent to examine the watch on the arm in the rubble. Ash's watch.

"Found Ash," I let out weakly. Dean came over and knelt next to me.

"Oh, Ash, damn it!" he yelled standing. I remained knelt next to Ash not quite understanding that I had just been on the phone with him. He was a friend. And he knew how to find Sam. "Come on," Dean said gently helping me up. "Let's get back to the car."

"This is…" Bobby trailed off.

"What the hell did Ash know?" Dean ranted. "We've got no way of knowing where Ellen is. Or if she's even alive. We've got no clue what Ash was gonna tell us. Now, how the hell are we gonna find Sam?"

"Maybe Joe knows where his mom is," I said and Dean nodded before clutching his head in pain. "Dean?" He straightened as it went away but it hit again harder and he leaned over the car and grabbed my arm for support. He groaned shutting his eyes tight and grabbing his head. "Dean!"

"What was that?" Bobby asked when Dean seemed over it.

"I don't know. A headache?" Dean answered. I stared at Dean curiously. I had seen someone else react like that before. Sam when he had a vision.

"You get headaches like that a lot?" Bobby asked.

"No. Must be the stress." Dean let out a short laugh. "I could have sworn I saw something."

"What do you mean?"

"Like a vision?" I asked. "Like what Sam gets?"

"What? No!"

"That's how he acts."

"Come on, I'm not some psychic," Dean snapped before doubling over again. This time he slumped down and rested his head against the hood gasping. Bobby rushed over to us.

"Dean? Dean! Are you with me?" Bobby asked and Dean lifted his head from the hood weakly.

"Yeah, I think so. I saw Sam."

"It was a vision," Bobby concluded.

"Yeah. I don't know how, but yeah. Whew." Dean stood and rested his hands against the hood trying to catch his breath. "That was about as fun as getting kicked in the jewels."

"What else did you see?" Bobby urged.

"Uh… there was a bell."

"What kind of bell?"

"Like a big bell with some kind of engraving on it, I don't know."

"Engraving?"

"Yeah."

"Engraving of what?" I asked.

"Uh-"

"Was it a tree? Like, an oak tree?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah, exactly," Dean answered glancing at Bobby with furrowed eyebrows.

"How'd you know that?" I asked Bobby.

"I know where Sam is," Bobby said and went back around to get in the car. Dean turned to me and I shrugged.

"You okay to drive?" I asked.

"I'm fine now."

The road we were on ended in a mess of overgrowth and fallen trees.

"Looks like the rest of the way's on foot," Bobby said.

We got out of the car and opened up the trunk. I secured my pistol in the back of my jeans and a flask of holy water in my jacket. I stuff some rock salt shells in my pockets and grabbed and loaded my shotgun. Dean and Bobby were doing the same.

"Let's go," Dean said and closed the trunk.

The rough road led us to an town laid out like an old western. We held our shotguns out as we approached but the town was deserted.

"Sam!" Dean yelled as we walked down the road and entered the town. We turned when we saw movement to our right and I breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Sam. "Sam," Dean breathed relaxing slightly.

"Dean!" Sam called back smiling. He was limping and holding his arm like it'd been hurt. My gaze caught something behind him and my smile fell.

"Same look out!" Dean yelled running towards his brother. But it was too late. The man had come up behind Sam and stabbed him in the back.

"No!" Dean yelled out. Sam grunted and fell to his knees limply. Dean slid to the ground on his knees in front of Sam catching him before he fell to the ground. "No, Sam!"

Bobby ran after the man that had stabbed Sam and I stood with my gun held at the ready in case someone else came out of the buildings.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Sam. Sam! Hey! Hey, hey. Come here. Let me look at you," I could hear Dean saying to his brother softly but there was obvious panic in his voice. My own hands shook as I held my shotgun in front of me.

"Is he okay, Dean?" I asked and was surprised when my voice came out shaky.

"Hey, look at me," Dean continued talking to Sam. "It's not even that bad. It's not even that bad, all right? Sammy? Sam!"

I turned away from the buildings deciding they were empty and back to the brothers on their knees in the mud. Sam was now fully laying on Dean. Deans hand was covered in blood as he desperately tried to stop the bleeding from the wound in Sam's back.

"Hey, listen to me," Dean said as his own voice trembled. "We're gonna patch you up, okay? Red, get over here!"

I finally moved my feet from their stuck position and knelt behind Sam to take a look at his wound. I lifted his jacket and shirt and knew when I saw it there wasn't much I could do. Sam's spinal cord was likely heavily damaged.

"You'll be good as new. Huh? I'm gonna take care of you," Dean said but Sam couldn't keep his head up by himself now and Dean was struggling to keep Sam's eyes on him. "I'm gonna take care of you. I've got you. That's my job, right? Watch out for my pain-in-the-ass little brother?"

I felt tears slide down my face as my shaking hands pulled my over shirt off and ripped it up to hold against the wound. I couldn't look up at Dean as he spoke to his brother telling him over and over is was going to be okay. I knew it wasn't and Dean did too.

"Sam? Sam! Sam! Sammy!" Dean grabbed Sam's lifeless body and held it to him as tears pooled in his eyes. "No, no, no, no, no, no. Oh, God. Oh, God." Sam was gone.

I fell back to sit in the mud letting my bloody hands fall to my sides. Dean's eyes met mine and his face was completely helpless.

"Sam!" he yelled into the rainy night one last time.

I didn't know where Bobby was. He was still off chasing after the bastard who had killed my best friend. Dean sat with his head buried in Sam's shoulder rocking back and forth. I needed to do something besides sit in the mud and feel sorry for myself.

"Dean," I spoke softly lifted myself off the ground. "Dean."

"What do we do, Robin?" he cried. "What do I do?"

"Let's, let's go inside," I said scrubbing at my wet face.

"He got-" Bobby started behind me and stopped when he saw Dean holding his dead brother on the ground.

"Bobby, help us get him inside," I said forcing myself to sound stronger than I felt.

I approached Dean and laid a hand on his shoulder and he nodded absently slowly loosening his hold on Sam. Bobby tried to help Dean take Sam inside but Dean insisted on carrying him alone. I held the doors for him leading him into a house that had a bed with a bare mattress inside. Dean laid Sam down and stood lost until I brought him a chair to sit in.

"I'll uh, go see if I can bring the car around somehow," Bobby said and turned to leave.

I walked Bobby to the door and we both turned to look at Dean and Sam in the other room. We shared a powerless look and Bobby left. I walked to a sink and poured water over my hands from a bucket washing the blood off. I rubbed my hands up and down my face and balled my fist into my hair trying to compose myself and figure out how to comfort Dean when I myself needed comforting.

Losing John had been one thing. I knew that would happen sooner rather than later. But losing Sam was something I never wanted to imagine. I always thought he'd be around. My best friend. Always there when I needed someone to come save me on the playground, or sit with me at lunch. The boy who tied my shoes for me until I was seven because I didn't know how.

I looked in the room at Dean who stared vacantly at his brother. I felt like my heart had been burned and ground up to be burned again. I couldn't imagine what Dean was feeling.

I wet a strip of my torn t-shirt and brought it and the bucket of water into the room with Dean. I pulled a chair up next to him and snaked a hand around to take his. I gently washed Sam's blood away and set the bucket of bloodied water away.

Dean gripped my hand tight and brought it up grasp with his other one too. He trembled and tears dripped from his eyes onto our hands.

"What do I do?" he whispered again.

I didn't have an answer to this. Keep going? Keep looking for Yellow Eyes? All of this happening must have meant he had something big planned. Were we supposed to just carry on without Sam? I didn't know. I didn't know because all I wanted to do was curl into a ball and cry for the next ever.

"Car's out front," Bobby said walking in.

"Thanks, Bobby," I said over my shoulder. "I'll get you some dry clothes."

"I'm fine," Dean gritted out angrily.

"I'll get your bags," Bobby said going back outside obviously feeling uncomfortable about the entire situation.

Dean tossed my hand away and straightened trying to compose himself. He wiped the tears away roughly and stood pacing back and forth. I left the room and sat at the dinning table to give him some space. Bobby returned with our bags and sat them in front of me.

"He okay?" Bobby asked quietly.

"What do you think?" I said pulling dry clothes out of my bag. Bobby nodded and sat at the table. I went to another room and changed out of my muddy clothes and returned to sit with Bobby.

The sun came up a few hours later and none of us had slept. Bobby and I remained in the kitchen and Dean stayed with his brother. I remembered from when John died that Dean was probably in his hateful stage of mourning and it was best to leave him alone.

Dean came into the kitchen once to dig a bottle of whiskey out of his bag and drink from it but he didn't say anything and I didn't try to get him to talk.

"Robin, will you go with me to get my truck?" Bobby asked. "I'm going to stop and get us some food too."

"Sure. You going to be okay, Dean?" I asked standing. No answer. "We'll be back soon."

Bobby drove the Impala out to where he'd left his truck and I drove the Impala back to Cold Oak. Bobby hadn't arrived yet since he was stopping in town for some food. I parked the Impala outside of the building we were staying in and shut off the engine. My eyes drifted over to the passenger seat where Sam would usually be. I let out a sob and curled into the seat letting myself mourn him.

"This wasn't supposed to happen, Sammy," I cried.

I took a deep breath to steady the hiccups that accompanied my sobs. I wiped my face clean and took a look at myself in the rearview to see if I was okay to be seen. I was far from it. My eyes were puffy and red, my lips swollen, and my hair was curled and poofed to the max from the rain I'd been in yesterday.

"Oh, well," I said and got out of the car. I entered the room as Bobby pulled up behind the Impala. Dean stood in the doorway of the room where Sam was and I would've done anything to fix this mess Yellow Eyes had caused. If Mary living, and me dying at seventeen meant none of this happening I think I would have been okay with it now.

"I've got food," Bobby said entering the building. "Dean why don't you come eat."

"No, thanks. I'm fine," Dean said monotone.

"You should eat something."

"I said I'm fine," Dean said turning and walking towards us but he grabbed the whiskey off the table and took a swig.

"Dean… I hate to bring this up, I really do," Bobby said slowly. "But don't you think maybe it's time… we bury Sam?"

"No," Dean said with finality and took a seat at the table. When he looked up he was pale and his eyes were sunken in.

"We could, maybe…"

"What?" Dean said so calmly it scared me. "Torch his corpes? Not yet."

"I want you to come with me." I knew Bobby was going after Yellow Eyes. I guess he did know what to do next.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Dean, please."

"Would you cut me some slack?" Dean said getting frustrated.

"I just don't think you should be alone, that's all."

"I'll stay," I volunteered.

"I need help, Red."

"He's right, you're going with him," Dean said pointing at me sternly.

"I could use your help too, Dean." Dean scoffed. "Something big is going down. End of the world big."

"Well, then let it end!" Dean yelled startling me.

"You don't mean that." Dean stood abruptly knocking his chair over. He stalked up to Bobby and stood in his face.

"You don't think so?" he growled.

"Dean," I started afraid this would come to blows and Bobby wouldn't stand a chance.

"You don't think I've given enough?" Dean ignored me. "You don't think I've paid enough? I'm done with it. All of it. And if you know what's good for you, you'd turn around and get the hell out of here." Bobby didn't move and instead shook his head at Dean. Dean shoved Bobby back roughly causing the older man to stumble back. "Go!"

"Stop it!" I snapped at Dean stepping between them. Dean looked between me and Bobby like he just realized what he'd done.

"I'm sorry," he muttered out. "I'm sorry. Please, just go."

"You know where I'll be," Bobby said and turned walking out.

"Take care of yourself, Dean. I'll see you soon," I said and took one last look towards Sam's body before I followed Bobby out.

I spent the next 24 hours at Bobby's house researching trying to desperately find the demon. But, honestly I was desperately trying to keep my mind off Sam and his brother that refused to leave him.

The doorbell rang and I looked up from my spot on the couch to Bobby who didn't even twitch at the sound and continued researching. I sighed and pushed the papers off my lap to stand.

"I'll get it."

I walked to the front door and swung it open lazily.

"Yeah?" I asked and looked up and gasped.

I stared at Sam wide eyed then my eyes shot over to Dean suspiciously.

"Hey, Red," Dean said averting his eyes.

"Hey, Red," Sam said smiling.

"Sam? It's good to see you up," I said confused.

"Yeah. Thanks for helping patch me up," Sam said and walked inside past me.

"No problem. Bobby! Sam and Dean are here," I said following Sam into the house.

"Sam?" the grumpy man said from the other room. I could hear him get up and head towards us. "Did Dean bring his bo- Hey Sam." Bobby froze when he saw Sam living and breathing in his house.

"Hey, Bobby."

"Well Sam's better," Dean spoke before anyone had time to ask questions. "And we're back in it now, so… what do you know?"

"Yeah. Come in here," Bobby said leading us to where his desk was. "We've come across a lot of stuff but I'm not sure what the hell it means."

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"Demonic omens… like a fricken' tidal wave. Cattle deaths. Lightning storms. They skyrocketed from out of nowhere."

"Here," I said pulling the map out and setting in on the desk.

"All around here," Bobby said pointing to Wyoming. "Except for one place. Southern Wyoming."

"Wyoming?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. That one area's totally clean- spotless. It's almost as if…"

"What?"

"The demons are surrounding it."

"But you don't know why?"

"Can't figure it out. And I'm so tired of looking at it," I said rubbing my eyes. "Sam, why don't you help Bobby out with it. Maybe you can catch something."

"Yeah, sure," Sam answered.

"Dean, I've got a few books from the library in the car outside. You mind?" I asked headed to the door.

"Yeah," Dean said following and I knew he knew he was in trouble.

As soon as we were in the yard and hidden behind the cars so Sam couldn't see I turned on him.

"Dean Winchester, what the hell did you do?" He didn't answer. "Dean. How is Sam in there right now alive?" Dean looked like he was trying to find the right words. "Tell me."

"I made a deal, Robin."

"What? Like a crossroads deal?" he nodded. "You made a deal with a demon?"

"What the hell was I supposed to do?"

"Dean," I held my head in my hands and paced in front of him. "Jesus. So in ten years you're going to get dragged to hell. Great."

"Not in ten years," he said quietly.

"What? You bargained for more? Or did you somehow get out of it?" I asked praying he had done something to completely get out of the deal.

"No, Red. I've only got one year." I froze and my heart dropped.

"You only got one year?" I repeated hoping I'd heard it wrong.

"She wouldn't let me have more. That was the most I could bargain for and I had to bring Sam back. And now we gotta find this yellow eyed son of a bitch. That's why I'm gonna kill him myself. I got nothing to lose now, right?"

My jaw set and I took a quick step towards Dean and threw a punch right in his chest. He stumbled back a step out of surprise and I fumed in front of him.

"What the hell is with you Winchesters? First your dad, now you."

"That's my point, Robin. Dad brought me back. I'm not even supposed to be here. At least this way something good could come out of it, you know? It's like my life could mean something."

"And it didn't before? Have you got that low of an opinion of yourself? You think there aren't people here that need you?" I snapped.

"I couldn't let him die, Robin. I couldn't. He's my brother," Dean said and I noticed how much it was really bothering him then. My shoulders relaxed and my anger disappeared.

"You don't think Sam's going to be upset in a year? Or me and Bobby?"

"You can't tell Sam. Please don't tell him." Dean's eyes were red and I realized everything I'd just said he'd already realized. He didn't need me yelling it at him now.

"I won't," I said stepping to him and wrapping my arms around his waist. "But you need to."

"I know," he breathed into my hair.

We jerked apart when we heard something thud in the distance. We sprang into action and ducked behind a car. When the intruder stepped out Dean grabbed them.

"Ellen?" Dean asked. Ellen nodded and started to cry. "Ellen. Oh, God." Dean pulled her in for a hug and she silently cried against him.

"Let's get you inside," I said relieved to see her.

We took her inside and Bobby and Sam were surprised to see her. Bobby made her take a shot of holy water just to make sure and once she'd swallowed it everyone relaxed.

"Ellen, what happened? How'd you get out?" Dean asked.

"I wasn't supposed to. I was supposed to be in there with everybody else. But we ran out of pretzels, of all things. It was just dumb luck. Anyway, that's when Ash called. Panic in his voice. He told me to look in the safe. Then the call cut out. By the time I got back, the flames were sky-high. And everybody was dead. I couldn't have been gone more than fifteen minutes."

"Sorry, Ellen," Sam said softly.

"A lot of good people died in there. And I got to live. Lucky me."

"Ellen, you mentioned a safe," Bobby said sitting across from her.

"A hidden safe we keep in the basement."

"Demons get what was in it?"

"No." She pulled out a map from her pocket and unfolded it setting it on the table. There were five black X's on the map in Wyoming.

"Wyoming?" Dean asked pulling the map towards him. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know. Let's fine out," Bobby said standing and began pulling books to look through.

Bobby found out that each of the X's marked a church built by Samuel Colt. The very man that made the gun we needed to kill Yellow Eyes. Connecting the churches was a private railway line that created a giant Devils Trap. That's why all the omens were happening around it. The demons were circling it but couldn't get in. And right in the center was a cemetery. We needed to get there before the demon's figured out how to get in.

I loaded into the back of the Impala with Sam and Dean and Ellen rode with Bobby in his truck. We hauled ass to Wyoming and across the tracks fifteen miles to the cemetery. We hid the vehicles and waited in the cemetery hiding until Jake, the guy who stabbed Sam, showed up.

Sam knew it would be Jake to come. Jake was who Yellow Eyes had chosen since he apparently won the competition between the psychic kids. Yellow Eyes couldn't come into the cemetery but Jake could. I hid behind the crypt and waited.

I watched Jake approached the crypt and waited until I saw Dean make a move across from me behind a tombstone. When he stepped out so did I and the rest of the group.

"Howdy, Jake," Sam said as we all raised our guns to the boy.

"Wait… you were dead. I killed you," Jake said with wide eyes.

"Yeah? Well next time, finish the job," Sam smirked.

"I did! I cut clean through your spinal cord, man." Sam glanced at Dean suspiciously and Dean lowered his gaze. "You can't be alive. You can't be."

"Okay, just take it real easy there, son," Bobby said.

"And if I don't?

"Wait and see," Sam snapped.

"What, you a tough guy all of a sudden? What are you gonna do? Kill me?"

"It's a thought."

"You had your chance. You couldn't."

"I won't make that mistake twice." Jake started laughing.

"What are you smiling at, you little bitch?" Dean growled causing Jake to turn in the direction of me and Dean. Jakes eyes flicked to me and his smile grew.

"Hey, sweetheart, do me and favor. Put that gun to your head."

I narrowed my eyes at him before they widened as my hand pulled back and my gun slowly rose to my own temple. I tensed at the feeling of not being in control of my own body.

"See that Ava girl was right. Once you give in to it, there's all sorts of new Jedi mind tricks you can learn," Jake grinned.

"Let her go!" Sam roared.

"Shoot him," I bit out.

"You'll be mopping up skull before you get a shot off. Everybody, put your guns down. Except you, gorgeous."

Bobby and Ellen dropped their guns. My eyes met Dean's as worry flooded over me. He kept his gun raised and stared back at me. Finally he sat his gun down not knowing what else to do. That left Sam with his gun raised at Jake. He trembled with anger. He lowered his gun slowly and let it fall to the ground.

"Okay. Thank you," Jake said and turned towards the crypt pulling the Colt out of his pocket.

Everything else was slow motion. Jake stuck the gun into a keyhole in the crypt and Dean and Bobby dove towards me puling the gun from my head. The gun went off an inch from taking my face off. Sam picked his gun up from the ground and shot Jake four times straight through the heart. Jake fell to the ground and I watched from Dean's arms as Sam walked around and added three more bullets to Jake's face.

Dean let me go and we all walked towards Sam who held a slightly crazed look on his face. We walked by Sam cautiously and towards the crypt.

But, we were too late. Jake had opened the crypt and the engraving around the lock were spinning. They came to a stop and everything was quiet.

"Oh, no," Bobby whispered.

"Bobby, what is it?" Ellen asked.

"It's hell." Dean stepped forward pulling the Colt out of the lock. "Take cover now!" Bobby yelled.

We ran diving behind a line of headstones as the doors swung open letting a cloud of black smoke pour out. Demons.

"What the hell just happened?" Dean yelled.

"That's a devil's gate. A damn door to hell," Ellen answered. "Come on! We gotta shut that gate!"

We jumped up and ran towards the gate. Ellen and Sam took one door struggling to shut it and Bobby and I took the other. I glanced around looking for Dean and saw him about the same time Sam did. Sam jumped away from the door causing it to push Ellen backwards. He ran towards his downed brother and I saw Yellow Eyes step out sending Sam into a tree.

"Sam!" I yelled letting off the door slightly. It jerked backwards into Bobby.

"Red, they can handle it! Help with the damn door!" Bobby yelled.

I pushed against the door again but continued to watch Yellow Eyes stoop to talk to Dean. I watched as Yellow Eyes produced a gun and pointed it at Dean.

"No!" I yelled leaving the door but stopped when I saw a cloud of black smoke form behind Yellow Eyes and grab him. The smoke cleared and John stood behind him separating the demon from the body. The smoke knocked John backwards among the tombstones.

The smoke poured back into the body and Yellow Eyes stood turning back to Dean. Only now Dean had the Colt raised at the demons. He fired the shot and it hit Yellow Eyes in the heart. The demon stood staring at Dean in shock before he jerked violently and lit up as he died.

Sam fell from his spot against the tree and Bobby and Ellen closed the door without he presence of Yellow Eyes around. Bobby and Ellen walked up and stood next to me and we all stared wide eyed at John.

John sent a wink my way before walking up to Dean and laying a hand on his shoulder. He turned to Sam and nodded at him then stepped back and flickering away.

Sam and Dean looked up and each other and then walked up to Yellow Eyes. I turned to Ellen and Bobby sighing.

"Let's call it a day."

"Shut your pie hole. You didn't even do anything. Me and Ellen shut the door to hell. You stood around like some sort of mental patient," Bobby complained.

"Hey! I was almost forced to shoot myself. I'm allowed to be exhausted from emotional trauma, old man!" I said causing Ellen to let out a laugh.

"Who you calling 'old man?"

"You know you'll be laid up for weeks after that. 'Oh, my back! Red, bring me a sandwich! I'm too old for this shit.'"

"Let's just get out of this damn cemetery," Bobby muttered walking towards the exit. Sam and Dean were out by the Impala.

"Well," Ellen said walking up to them. "Yellow-Eyed Demon might be dead. But a lot more got through that gate."

"How many you think?" Dean asked.

"Hundred. Maybe two hundred. It's a army. He's unleashed an army," Sam answered.

"Hope to hell you boys are ready. Cause the war has just begun," Bobby said.

"Well, then," Dean said smiling and he and Sam walked to the back of the Impala and opened the trunk."We got work to do."


	17. The Magnificent Seven

Bobby had taken Ellen somewhere safe for the time being and I had gone with Sam and Dean. We were on our toes, ready for the demons to pounce. Only we couldn't find any.

Sam had gone for a run early in the morning and I sat silently flipping through TV channels while Dean still slept. I let him sleep since he might not get many more peaceful mornings.

"No Saturday morning cartoons?" Dean groaned as he rolled over next to me. I grinned at him. I had the news on reading the subtitles with the volume down. I clicked the volume back on and Dean sat up.

"There's still nothing weird. Maybe everything that escaped was like your dad. Friendly."

"Two hundred souls escaped from hell. They weren't all friendly."

"Wishful thinking. So Sam knows?"

"Yeah."

"And everything's okay?" I asked looking towards him.

"I'm going to hell in a year, Red. What do you think?" I didn't answer and turned back to the TV. Dean sighed and pulled me against him. "Sorry. Yeah, me and Sam are fine."

I nodded and laid my head on his chest. He sat his on top of mine and I flipped the channel over to Cartoon Network. We watched Courage the Cowardly Dog, which neither of us understood, until Sam returned.

"What are you guys watching?" Sam asked when he came in looking between us and the TV.

"A horrifying children's show," Dean replied.

"I'm gonna get a shower then we should probably get going."

I sat in the Impala with a book in my lap searching for anything on demon deals. Sam sat in the front seat doing the same. Dean was inside the house we were parked outside of 'questioning' a woman on any demon activity.

"God, Sam, I can't find anything useful."

"I don't think I'm getting anywhere either."

"Dean needs to hurry up. I'm starving," I said flipping through the book. Sam let out a chuckle. "What?" I asked looking up to see what he was laughing at. My eyes narrowed at Dean who stood in the window of the house halfway undressed. He gave us a thumbs up and closed the curtains. "So much for hurrying." Sam's phone rang and he answered it.

"Hey, Bobby… Oh, same old, same old… If not in the books then where, Bobby?… uh," Sam glanced back up at the window where we could see Deans silhouette dancing with the woman. "Polling the electorate… never mind…"

Sam hung up and closed the book. He twisted in his seat to look at me.

"Bobby think's he's found something. We should get Dean."

"Uh, no. I'm not going in there," I said snarling. "Good luck though." I gave Sam a smile and patted him on the shoulder.

"Robin," Sam whined. "I don't want to see that."

"And I do?"

"Fine. Rock paper scissors?"

"How about, 'Sam go get your brother or I will maim you beyond repair'."

"Fine," Sam said and turned getting out of the car. He stomped all the way up to the house and once he got to the door he turned and gave me his pouty lips and puppy dog eyes. I shook my head and he sighed and turned back to the door.

He knocked but there was no answer. I could see his shoulders slouch as he slowly opened the door. He was talking as he opened it but as soon as he peeked around the door he slammed it back shut again and high stepped it back to the car. I was laughing when he slid back in the passenger seat.

"Next time you're doing it," he snapped.

Dean came strolling out of the house soon after with his shirt wrinkled and one pants leg hung on the top of his boot. He was smiling when he got in the car and floored the car out of the driveway.

"What were you saying about Bobby?" he asked Sam smiling.

"Let me see your knife," Sam answered.

"What for?"

"So I can gouge my eyes out."

"It was a beautiful, natural act, Sam."

"It's a part of you I never wanted to see, Dean." Dean laughed and slapped Sam's leg.

"Hey, I appreciate you giving me a little quality time with the Doublemint Twins."

"Yeah, no problem," Sam muttered.

"Really? Well, I got to say, I was expecting a weary sigh or an eye roll, something."

"No, not at all. You deserve to have a little fun."

"Well, I am in violent agreement with you there. What's Bobby got?"

"Not much. A crop failure and a cicada swarm outside of Lincoln, Nebraska. Ahh, could be demonic omens."

"Or could just be a bad crop and a bug problem."

"Yeah, but it's our only lead."

"Any freaky deaths?"

"Nothing Bobby could find. Not yet, anyway."

"It's weird, man, I mean, the night the devils gate opened, all these weirdo storm clouds were sighted over how man cities?"

"Seventeen."

"Seventeen. You'd think it would be "Apocalypse Now," but it's been five days and bubkis. What are the demons waiting for?"

"Beats me."

"It's driving me crazy. I tell you, if it's gonna be war, I wish it would just start already."

"I don't know, man. Be careful what you wish for."

"Why you being so quiet, Red?"

"Oh, you know, just thinking about the end of the world and stuff. Happy thoughts and all."

Honestly I was thinking about the end of the world and the fact that Dean would be dead in less than a year and other things were begging to be thought about I didn't even want to start on. Besides, what was the point in worrying about them when, as previously stated, he'd be dead in less than a year.

"Well, cheer up. I don't want to be the only one in a good mood."

"Yeah, Red. You weren't scarred for life ten minutes ago," Sam reported.

We pulled up at a farmhouse outside Lincoln Nebraska the next morning. We'd stopped by a drive through and got some breakfast and then headed over to meet Bobby. I popped the door open and we all stepped out.

"Hear those cicadas?" Sam asked

"That can't be a good sign," Dean commented taking a bite out of his burger he'd gotten for breakfast.

"No. No, it can't." I smiled when I saw Bobby approaching us. He eyed Dean's choice of meal critically.

"So, we're eating bacon cheeseburgers for breakfast, are we?"

"Well, I sold my soul. Got a year to live. I ain't sweating the cholesterol," Dean shrugged.

"So, Bobby, what do you think?" Sam said ignoring his brother. "We got a biblical plague here or what?"

"Well, let's find out. Looks like the swarm's ground zero." We walked up the porch of the house and Dean banged on the door.

"Candygram!" No answer. He pulled out his lock pick and opened the door.

Dean stepped in and let out a cough. As the stale air filtered out I gagged at the smell. There was definitely something long dead in that house.

We stepped in and Sam and Dean went towards one end of the house with their guns drawn and Bobby and I took the other half. I held my gun out and we searched each room but found nothing.

"Let's see if the boys found anything," Bobby said and went towards their half of the house.

We turned a corner and I gagged again backing up into the dinning room table. Sam and Dean had found the source of the smell. Three dead bodies sitting on the couch in front of the TV.

"I'm gonna throw up," I mumbled snarling.

"Bobby, what the hell happened here?" Sam asked.

"I don't know."

"Check for sulfur," Dean said and I turned to check the windows in the dinning room.

Dean let out a whistle and I turned to see him crouched by a window. He signaled that he was going to check out something outside and for us to have his back. I walked towards the door and held my gun at the ready while he walked outside.

I heard a thud and multiple pairs of footsteps on the porch and stepped out onto it aiming my gun at the intruders. Dean was on the ground and a man and a woman stood over him. Bobby turned the corner from the back of the house and relaxed when he saw them.

"Isaac? Tamara?" he greeted smiling.

"Bobby. What the hell are you doing here?" the woman asked.

"I could ask the same."

"Heya, Bobby," the man said shaking Bobby's hand.

"Hello," Dean groaned raising his arm up from the ground between them. "Bleeding here."

I rolled my eyes and sighed stepping up to pull Dean to his feet. Sam stepped out of the house and looked between us and the newcomers curiously.

"Well let me introduce you all," Bobby started.

We ended up at Isaac and Tamara's house. Dean was on the phone trying to find out what had killed the victims in the house we'd found. Bobby walked around looking at their collection of hunting equipment and I stood awkwardly afraid to touch anything since it was all unfamiliar to me. Isaac was searching the house for something and Tamara ended up having to locate it for him.

"So, how long you two been married?" Sam asked smiling at the bickering couple.

"Eight years this past June," Tamara answered.

"The family that slays together…" Isaac let the rest of the quote hang. I glanced between Sam, Bobby, and Dean sitting in the other room. My family.

"Right. I'm with you there. So, how'd you get started?" Sam asked. Tamara and Isaac looked at each other and there was an awkward silence. Bobby shook his head at Sam. "I, uh, you know… I'm sorry. It's not.. that's none of my business."

"No, no. It's… it's alight," Tamara answered sadly. Dean entered the room finishing up his phone call.

"Well, Jenny, if you look as pretty as you sound, I'd love to have an… appletini." His face scrunched up at the word and he finished up the call and hung up. "That was the coroner's tech."

"And?" Sam asked.

"Get this. That whole family, cause of death? Dehydration and starvation. There's no signs of restraint, no violence, no struggle. They just sat down and never got up."

"But there was a fully stocked kitchen just yards away," Bobby countered.

"Right. What is this, a demon attack?" Sam wondered.

"If it is, it's not like anything I ever saw, and I've seen plenty."

"Well, what now? What should we do?" Dean said ready to get a plan in order. I relaxed feeling better now that we were getting somewhere.

"Uh, 'we're' not gonna do anything," Isaac argued. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"You guys seem nice enough, but, this ain't Scooby Doo, and we don't play well with others."

"Well, I think we'd cover a lot more ground if we all worked together."

"No offense, but we're not teaming with the damn fools who let the Devi's Gate get opened in the first place."

"No offense?" Dean said straightening.

"Isaac," Tamara scolded. "Like you've never made a mistake."

"Oh yeah, yeah. Locked my keys in the car, turned my laundry pink. Never brought on the end of the world, though."

"All right. That's enough," Dean sneered stepping forward. I grabbed his arm to stop him and he did but kept his glare on Isaac.

"Guys, this isn't helping. Dean," Sam started but was ignored.

"Look, there are a couple hundred more demons out there now. We don't know where they are, when they'll strike. There ain't enough hunters in the world to handle something like this. You brought war down on us. On all of us."

"Okay," Tamara said pulling her husband away while I kept a loose hold on Dean. "That's quite enough testosterone for now."

Tamara and Isaac left the room and I dropped my hand from Dean's arm. He huffed and turned to face me, Sam, and Bobby.

"He's nice, Bobby," I said with a sarcastic smile.

The next day there was a murder outside of a department store. A woman apparently killed another woman over a pair of shoes. Sam and Dean headed to the crime scene and Bobby and I changed into our appropriate attire and went down to the station to speak with the suspect. Bobby was playing an attorney and I was his assistant. I never got to be the cool one.

We left after we found nothing suspicious about her and went to meet the boys at the department store.

"Whoa," Dean said and let out a whistle when he saw Bobby. "Looking spiffy, Bobby. What are you, a G-man?"

"Attorney for the D.A.'s office," Bobby answered straightening his tie in a mirror. Dean looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Assistant," I muttered pouting. Dean smiled and threw an arm over my shoulders.

"We just spoke to the suspect," Bobby said turning to us.

"Yeah? So, what do you think? Is she possessed or what?"

"Don't think so. There's none of the usual signs. No blackouts, no loss of control. Totally lucid. Just, she really wanted those shoes."

"Spilled a glass of holy water on her just to be sure," I added.

"Maybe she's just some random whack job," Dean suggested.

"If it had been an isolated incident, maybe," Bobby agreed. "But first the family, now this? I believe in a lot of things. Coincidence ain't one of them. Did you boys find anything around here?"

"No sulfur, nothing," Sam said.

"Well, maybe something," Dean said and turned to look towards a security camera on the ceiling. "See? I'm working."

We watched the security footage and all we found was a guy come up and talk to the suspect. He laid a hand on her shoulder and nodded towards the girl she ended up killing.

After that I went with Sam to find out who the man in the video was and Dean went with Bobby to see if they could find him. We met them back at a bar where they were waiting outside to see if the man would show.

"Robin," Sam spoke softly as we pulled into the parking lot. "You realize he only has a year left."

"Yeah, Sam. I realize. No need to remind me every ten minutes."

"I'm just saying I know you. And you should tell Dean before it's too late." I started to groan at the conversation subject but Sam stopped me. "I'm serious, Red. I wish I had told Jessica a lot of things and now I can't."

"What would be the point? Say he doesn't freak out and feels the same, well then, he's still dead in a year. And it would be even worse wondering what could have been. Or, the more likely route, he doesn't and it just makes everything awkward for the last year I get to spend with him."

"Robin," Sam said with a short laugh. "I know you. I know my brother. You need to tell him."

"This isn't a damn soap opera," I mumbled getting out of the car.

"One of you is going to have to give," Sam muttered.

We walked up to the passenger side of Bobby's car and Sam knocked roughly on the window causing Dean to jump and cuss from his spot in the passenger seat. Sam opened the door and pushed the seat up, jerking Dean forwards while Sam climbed in the back of the two door car. I followed behind him.

"That's not funny!" Dean complained.

"Yeah. Uh, all right, so John Doe's name is Walter Rosen. He's from Oak Park, just west of Chicago. Went missing about a week ago."

"The night the Devil's Gate opened?"

"Yeah."

"So you think he's possessed?"

"Well, it's a good bet. So, what, he just walks up to someone, touches them, and they go stark raving psycho?"

"Those demons that got out at the gate… they're gonna do all kinds of things we haven't seen," Bobby commented.

"You mean the demons we let out," Sam sneered.

"Guys," Dean said drawing our attention to a man getting out of his car in front of us. It was Walter Rosen. "All right. Showtime."

"Wait a minute," Bobby stopped him.

"What?"

"What did I just say? We don't know what to expect out of this guy. We should tail him till we know for sure."

"Oh, so he kills someone and we just sit here with our junk in our hands?"

"We're no good dead! And we're not gonna make a move until we know what the score is."

"Hey, Bobby? I don't think that's an option," Sam said distracted.

"Why not?" Sam nodded back outside and we turned to see Issac and Tamara heading towards the bar after Walter. Bobby slapped the steering wheel. "Damn it!"

We jumped from Bobby's car and ran after them but once we reached the doors to follow them in they had been locked shut. We could hear arguing going on inside and Dean stepped back and slammed his body against the door trying to open it. Bobby joined him.

"It's not going to work. Is there another door?" I asked walking along the building hurriedly.

"Dean get in my car. Sam, Red, take the Impala head back to Isaac and Tamara's house," Bobby demanded.

"What?" I asked confused. We were leaving them?

"We're getting them out of there," Bobby said getting in the drivers side of his car. Dean got in the passenger side and me and Sam watched as Bobby shot backwards and crashed into the building.

"Let's go," Sam said heading towards the Impala. I watched as I backed towards the car hoping Bobby and Dean had it covered. "Come on, Red. They'll be pouring out. We gotta go."

I jumped in the passenger seat and turned around as Sam drove out of the parking lot. Just before the bar was out of sight I saw Bobby's car fly out of the building.

We regrouped at the house and Bobby and Dean popped the trunk to his car and drug out Walter. We tied him up in a chair under a devil's trap and an argument started on going back for Isaac.

"I left my husband bloody on the floor!" Tamara argued with Sam.

"Okay, I understand that, but we can't go back."

"Fine. You stay. But I'm heading back to that bar."

"Alone? They'll kill you in a second," I commented.

"I'll go with her," Dean said heading towards the door.

"Uh, no," I said jumping from my spot leaned against the wall.

"It's suicide, Dean!" Sam argued.

"So what? I'm dead already!"

"How you gonna kill 'em? Can't shoot 'em. You can't stab 'em. They're not just gonna wait in line to get exorcised!"

"I don't care!" Tamara yelled.

"We don't even know how many of them there are!"

"Yeah, we do," Bobby said walking up to our argument with a book in hand. "There's seven. Do you have any idea who we're up against?"

"No. Who?" Dean asked.

"Seven? Seven deadly sins?" I guessed.

"Exactly. Live and in the flesh." Dean let out a laugh and we turned to him.

"What's in the box?" he said smiling. We all gave him a blank look. "Brad Pitt? Se7en? No?" Bobby slammed the book shut and shoved it into Dean's hands. "What's this?"

"Binsfeld's Classification of Demons. In 1589, Binsfeld ID'd the seven sins. Not just as human vices but as actual devils."

"The family," Sam realized, "they were touched by Sloth. And the shopper…"

"That's Envy's doing. The customer we got in the next room. I couldn't suss it out at first, until Isaac. He was touched with an awful Gluttony."

"I don't give a rat's ass if they're the Three Stooges or the Four Tops! I'm gonna slaughter every last one of them!" Tamara yelled at Bobby.

"We already did it your way. You burst in there half-cocked and look what happened!" Bobby yelled stepping up to Tamara. "These demons haven't been topside in half a millennium! We're talking medieval, Dark Ages! We've never faced anything close to this! So we're gonna take a breath… And figure out what our next move is!"

I glanced between the boys wide eyed at Bobby's outburst. Bobby rarely got this loud. Except for the time I nearly failed my Senior year of high school because I skipped finals to go on a hunt with Sam and Dean without telling him. Or the time me and Dean got in an argument when we were young that almost came to blows. He really only got this mad when it came to me or the boys getting hurt.

"I am sorry for you loss," Bobby said quieter calming down. Tamara was shaking and she walked past Bobby and left the room.

We all filed into the room where we were holding Envy. He laughed when we entered obviously having heard the argument.

"So you know who I am, huh?"

"We do. We're not impressed," Bobby said.

"Why are you here? What are you after?" Sam asked.

"He asked you a question. What do you want?" Dean demanded walking past the demon. The demons didn't answer and instead laughed again. Dean splashed holy water across his face.

"Ya! Ahh! … We already have… what we want," he said between pants to regain his composure.

"What's that?"

"We're out. We're free. Thanks to you, my kind are everywhere. I am legion, for we are many. So me, I'm just celebrating. Having a little fun. See some people crochet. Others golf. Me? I like to see people's insides on their outsides," Envy said eyeing Tamara.

"I'm gonna put you down like a dog," she spat back.

"Please. You really think you're better than me. Which one of you cast the first stone, huh? What about you, Dean? You're practically a walking billboard of gluttony and lust." Dean gave a nod. I rolled my eyes at him. "Don't roll your eyes, Robin. You're a girl after my own heart. So envious of all those other girls." My eyes widened and my jaw clenched. I could practically feel Dean's curious gaze on me. "And Tamara. All that wrath. Ooh. It's the reason you and Isaac became hunters in the first place, isn't it? It's so much easier to drink in the rage than to face what really happened all those years ago."

Tamara let out an angry cry and hit Envy across the face twice. Dean and Bobby pulled her back while Envy laughed.

"My point exactly. And you call us sins. We're not sins. We are natural human instinct. And you can repress and deny us all you want, but the truth is, you are just animals. Horny… greedy… hungry… violent animals. And you know what? You'll be slaughtered like animals, too. The others, they're coming for me."

"Maybe," Dean said leaning into the demons face. "But they're not gonna find you. Cause you'll be in hell." The smile on Envy's face slipped. "Someone send this clown packing."

"My pleasure," Tamara said picking up the book with the exorcism in it. Bobby, Sam, Dean, and I left the room while she sent the demon to hell.

"I don't think we're gonna have to worry about hunting them," Bobby said once we were in the other room.

"What does that mean?" Sam asked.

"I think maybe this joker's right. They're gonna be hunting us. And they're not gonna quit easy."

"You guys, why don't you take Tamara and head for the hills? I'll stay back, slow them down, buy you a little time," Dean said.

"Shut up, Dean. We're not leaving you. No more damn sacrifices," I bit out.

"Red's right," Sam agreed.

"There's six of them, guys. We're outmanned, we're outgunned. We'll be dead by dawn."

"Maybe, but… there's no place to run that they won't find us," Bobby added.

"Look, if we're going down, we're going down together, all right?" Sam said.

"Well let's not make it easy for them," Dean said just before the yelling from the other room intensified and a gust of wind blew past us. Tamara walked out of the room and towards us.

"Demon's out of the guy," she said and walked past us.

"And the guy?" Sam asked.

"He didn't make it."

I walked into the main room where Sam and Dean were. I had just finished painting devil's traps throughout the house. Bobby was going around checking the salt lines around the windows and doors. Sam sat pouring holy water into bottles and Dean loaded the shotguns. I sat down on the floor next to him peeling the paint off my finger tips.

"What'd he mean?" Dean asked shoving another shell into the shotgun.

"Hmm?" I hummed picking at the paint under my nails.

"Envy. Saying you were envious of the other girls." My hands stopped and I looked up at Dean from behind my hair. "That they get to live normal lives? Cause you could, you know."

"No. I don't know what he meant," I said relieved he hadn't read it for what it actually meant. "Honestly I always thought my sin was sloth. He probably was just making up stuff." I yawned for emphasis.

The lights began to flicker around us and I sat still, watching. The radio turned on and tuned to a station on it's own. Dean cocked his shotgun next to me.

"Here we go," he said handing me one and standing. We walked to the window and stared out.

"Tamara!" a voice yelled. "Tamara! Tamara!" It was Isaac. Or at least Isaac's body. It wouldn't be possible for him to be alive. Not after what Tamara had said happened to him. We watched as he pulled himself up the stairs. "Help please! I got away, but I'm hurt bad! I need help!"

He walked up and began pounding on the door. He begged Tamara to let him. I didn't know where she was but I assumed she was with Bobby.

Dean nodded for me to go towards the back of the house and I snuck down the hallway to the backdoor. I glanced out the windows but didn't see anyone. Then I heard Tamara scream. Everything burst into action after that.

I was thrown against the backdoor and groaned trying to free myself from the hands on my shoulders. I kicked a foot backwards and heard the bone crack. I whipped around and came face to face with a demon.

"Which one are you, sweet cheeks?" I grinned setting my feet apart to fight.

"Greed," the man said smiling. "You know I really like that meat suit. I think I might have to take it from you."

"That's too bad, buddy. Got myself a tattoo that locks this body up nice and tight."

"Guess I'll have to rip it off then," he said and lunged at me.

I fought with him grappling for the upper hand. Since he was a demon he was much stronger than me. He held me against the wall again choking me with one hand. His other hand inched around my shoulder and towards my tattoo. My hands were pushing against him desperately and trying to pry his hands off. The many rings on his fingers were cutting into my skin.

My eyes flashed open and shot to around his neck. There sat enough gold chains to buy myself a vacation home and new car. My hands pulled at them and twisted them pulling his head backwards. I finally was able to pull an arm back and punch him in the nose releasing his hands from me.

Before he was able to regain his footing I sent a kick to the middle of his chest knocking him backwards and into a devils trap down the hallway. He started to run towards me and it was like he hit a wall. He stumbled backwards and glared at me.

"All to easy," I quoted Darth Vader and reached into my pocket for the exorcism. I felt around for it but couldn't find it. The demons started to laugh and I looked up to see him holding it in his hand. "Really?"

I bent down and picked up the shotgun that I had dropped earlier and shot him with it. He stumbled and dropped the exorcism which slid out of the circle. I walked around and picked it up.

"Are you even trying?" I asked him with a raised eyebrow before reading the exorcism.

After finishing up Greed I ran back towards the front of the house where I ran into Dean.

"Hey! You okay?" he asked holding me by the shoulders and looking me over.

"Yeah. I'm good. Why are you all wet?"

"I had Lust in the bathtub," he shrugged waving his hand dismissively.

"Right."

Sam walked down the stairs towards us.

"Where's Bobby and Tamara?" I asked.

"Tamara is outside. She's fine," Bobby said approaching. "Well, I took care of Gluttony. Tamara got Wrath."

"I got Greed."

"Lust is taken care of," Dean said and we turned to Sam.

"Uh, actually, I had help on Pride and Sloth."

"Help?" I asked.

"Some girl. I was looking for her just now. She came in and killed them with a knife."

"She killed demons with a knife?" Dean asked. Tamara walked in before Sam could answer and we started the cleanup.

The next morning Bobby and I took the surviving meat suits to the hospital. The girl possessed by Lust and the men possessed by Gluttony and Greed were the only survivors. Dean and Sam were taking the other bodies out to burn and bury. Tamara was dealing with burning Isaac herself.

"Well, those three should make it," Bobby said to the boys as we walked towards them. "Lifetime of therapy bills ahead, but, still…"

"That's more than you can say for these poor bastards," Dean said gesturing to the bodies in the shallow grave next to us.

"Bobby, that knife," Sam said bringing up the girl who helped him last night again. "What kind of blade can kill a demon?"

"Yesterday, I would have said there was no such thing."

"I'm just gonna ask it again, who was that masked chick?" Dean asked.

"If you want a more troubling question, I got one for you," Sam said.

"What's that?"

"If we let out the seven deadly sins, what else did we let out?"

"You're right. That is troubling," Dean said before lighting a matchbook and throwing it onto the bodies below us.

Later we said our goodbyes to Tamara and Bobby left to go his own way. I ran back in the house to grab my bag and when I started towards the car I saw that Sam and Dean were having a bit of an argument. I held back just inside the house for a while. I couldn't hear what they were saying but I figured there were some things I didn't need to be in on.

After they seemed to simmer down I headed towards them with my bag on my shoulder. Dean caught sight of me and smiled before turning back to his brother.

"So what do you say we kill some evil sons of bitches and we raise a little hell, huh?" Dean smiled and gave Sam a pat on the arm before walking around to the car.

"You're unbelievable," Sam groaned.

"Very true."


	18. The Kids Are Alright

I sat in a cafe with Sam a few weeks later. Sam was on the phone with Bobby trying to figure out a way to save Dean from hell. Apparently Dean had told him not to try and save him since that would cause the deal to become forfeit and Sam to die. But Sam was researching anyway. And I was sitting across from him working through a plate of chicken and fries.

"Hey," Dean said walking up to the table with a paper in his hand. "Who was that?" he asked Sam as he hung up.

"Ah, I was just ordering pizza," Sam covered horribly. I stared at him with a raised eyebrow and he gave me a nervous smile.

"Dude, you do realize that you're in a restaurant?" Dean asked looking around.

"Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I… just felt like pizza, you know?" Dean shot me a glance.

"It's not the best diner food I've had honestly," I said gesturing to my plate.

"Okay," Dean said and took a seat next to me. "So, I think I got something."

"Yeah?" Sam asked relaxing.

"Cicero, Indiana. Falls on his own power saw."

"And? What, that's it? One power saw?"

"Well… yeah."

"And you think that this is a case?"

"Well, I don't know. Could be." I stared at Dean disappointed. This sounded more like a careless accident than something supernatural.

"I don't know, Dean," Sam said obviously not too impressed either.

"All right, there's something better… better in Cicero than just a case?"

"And that is?"

"Lisa Braeden," Dean said smiling.

"Should I even ask?"

"Remember that road trip I took, uh… gosh, about eight years ago now? You were in Orlando with Dad wrapping up that banshee thing. Red was probably in school."

"Yeah. Yeah, the five states, five day-"

"Yeah. Well, kind of. Although I spent most of my time in Lisa Braeden's loft," Dean grinned between me and Sam. I stared at him blankly and continued eating.

"So let me get this straight. You want to drive all the way to Cicero just to hook up with some random chick?"

"She was a yoga teacher. It was the bendiest weekend of my life. Come on. Have a heart, huh? It's my dying wish."

"Yeah, well, how many dying wishes are you gonna get?"

"As many as I can squeeze out."

We arrived at Cicero, Indiana and Dean dropped me and Sam off at the Cicero Pines Motel. I turned to grab my bag out of the backseat.

"Don't wait up for me," Dean said and started to drive off before I had my bag out. Sam didn't either. I barely had the door shut before Dean drove off leaving me and Sam glaring after him.

"I really fucking hate your brother," I growled.

"No you don't. And that's why this sucks for you even more," Sam remarked. I shot Sam a look to kill.

"Let's just get a damn room," I mumbled shoving past him.

We got a room and Sam left to go to a diner down the road that had wifi so he could start his research on how to save Dean again. I sat in the hotel room endlessly flipping through TV channels and feeling sorry for myself.

Dean called me once and I ignored it. I figured if he needed something he could call Sam. Sam ended up calling me and telling me what Dean wanted. There _was_ a job in Cicero.

Sam and I dressed in our suits and went around talking to a group of wives who's husbands had died in horrible accidents.

"Dude, please tell me you saw that weird ass mark on her neck," I said once we left the first house.

"Yeah," Sam answered.

"And the blood on the wall leading up to the window where the weird ass little girl was standing."

"Yeah. Noticed that too."

"What now?"

"Call Dean. Let him know what we found."

"Uh, you call Dean."

"Let's just get back to the motel and figure out what's going on."

Back at the motel we called Bobby to see if he'd ever heard of it. He suggested we look into Changelings. Now we were sitting at the table in the motel sifting through the lore. Sam on his computer and I was flipping through one of Bobby's monster books I'd borrowed.

The door opened and Dean walked in.

"Something's wrong with the kids in this town," he said.

"Yeah. Tell me about it. So, what do you know about changelings?" Sam asked

"Evil monster babies?"

"No, not necessarily babies."

"They're kids," Dean said putting the pieces together. "Creepy, 'stare at you like you're lunch' kids?"

"Yeah. There's one at every victim's house."

"And to kill them don't you have to…"

"Burn 'em alive," I finally spoke up.

"This should go over well."

We figured out the reason the husbands and the babysitters had been killed was because they got between the changeling and the mom who the changelings were feeding off of. Luckily the other kids war likely still alive, underground somewhere.

"So, any kid in the neighborhood is vulnerable?" Dean asked as we prepared to leave.

"Yep."

"We gotta make a stop. I want to check on someone."

"Well Dean, if the real kids are still alive we don't have much time. We-" Dean cut Sam off.

"We have to."

"So children are starving in some creeps basement and we're making a pit stop because...?" I asked from the backseat.

"I gotta check on Ben," Dean said without further explanation.

"Oh yeah. Ben. Of course. Good ole Benedict. Sam what the hell are we doing?"

"I don't…" Sam was looking at Dean confused too.

"Ben is Lisa's son. He's a good kid."

"Uh huh… You know whether he's already taken or not we still need to find the kids. I'm just not seeing the point here."

"Robin, would you just shut up! We're going to check on them," Dean snapped at me. I slumped back into my seat and rolled my eyes childishly.

We waited for Dean while he ran over to Lisa's house. I had a headache forming and Sam didn't talk as if he could sense it. Finally, I saw Dean jogging back towards the car.

"They took Ben. He's changed."

"What? Are you sure?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I checked his windowsill."

"Blood?"

"I don't think it's blood, and I think I know where the kids are."

We pulled up outside a partially built house in the neighborhood. We got out of the Impala and Dean walked over to a pile of dirt.

"Red dirt," Sam examined. "That's what was on the window."

"You take the front. I'll go around. Red, you stay out here and watch for anyone coming in."

"What? I'm not being look out. I wanna torch some kids!" Dean took a breath and closed his eyes.

"Fine. You're with me," he said and headed around back. I shot Sam a look and he shrugged.

Dean and I walked around the back of the house shining our flashlights around looking for any sign of the children.

"What's up with you?" Dean asked quietly as we ducked by a plastic tarp.

"I'm a little hungry."

"Be serious, Red."

"Nothing, Dean. Can we focus?"

We heard a noise and both shined our lights towards it. We slowly walked towards it and around the corner in the basement was a line of cages containing children. I started towards the cages to free the children.

"Ben," Dean whispered going up to one in particular. "Ben… it's okay. I'm gonna get you out of here, okay?"

I looked around the cages trying to figure out how to open them. The children inside were mostly unconscious or very weak. My eyes caught a larger figure in one of the cages.

"Dean," I whispered getting his attention. I motioned to the older redheaded woman in the cage.

"That's weird," Dean said standing behind me and looking down into the cage. "Come on. Let's get the kids out and find Sam."

We started busting the locks on the cages. Dean freed the Ben kid and I started on the others. After we'd bust a cage open Ben would help us pull the children out.

"Thanks, bud," I smiled at him as he pulled a scared little girl out. Ben led the children over to a window that was near the ceiling.

"Okay, everybody back! Everybody back!" Dean said. I corralled the children back and Dean smashed the window out. Ben pulled his jacket off and handed it to Dean.

"Here. Use this."

"All right. All right, Ben. Come on. Come on," Dean said reaching for Ben.

"Him first," Ben pushed another kid forward.

"Hey!" Sam's voice sounded approaching. "Dean! There's a mother."

"A mother changeling?" Dean asked as he lifted kids out the window and I handed him another.

"Yeah. We got to get these kids out quick. I guess that's why the changelings are keeping the kids alive. So the mom can snack on them."

One of the little girls screamed and I whirled around to see what had scared her. The redheaded woman from the cage stood there. Only she was also still in her cage. This was the mother changeling.

"Get back!" I said pushing the children behind me putting myself between them and the mother. I glanced around looking for my torch and as soon as my eyes left her she threw me across the room.

I rolled onto my feet shaking away the stars and saw that she was now fighting Sam and Dean. Ben was helping the children out of the window and once he was the last once he stared up at the window with no one to help him. I glanced back and Sam and Dean and figured they had it covered and I went to Ben.

"Come on! Get those kids out of here, Ben," I said lifting him through the window.

Once he was out he ran over to the kids and I turned around to find Sam holding his torch. He felt around in his pocket for a lighter and then glanced around the floor wildly trying to find it. I saw it a few feet away from me and snatched it up.

"Sam!" I yelled to him and threw the lighter to him. He caught it and turned and toasted the mother.

After that was all over we worked on returning the children to their parents. Ben was the last one. He sat next to me in the back of the Impala while Dean drove us towards his house.

"Not bad, kiddo," I smiled at him.

"Thanks," he said giving me a flirty look back. My eyebrows furrowed and I glanced between Dean and Ben connecting the dots. That's why Dean had been so worried about him. _Holy shit, I'm sitting next to Dean Winchesters eight year old kid._

"I'm Red, by the way," I introduced holding my hand out to shake his.

"It suits you," he said with a grin.

"Hey, now," Dean warned. "Stop flirting in my backseat. She's way to old for you, Ben."

"I feel ancient," I groaned rubbing my hurt shoulder.

We pulled up outside of Lisa's and she ran out calling for her son. Dean got out of the car and walked up to them. Sam stood at the drivers door and I remained in the car. Lisa hugged Dean and Sam looked towards me.

"Let's just go," I muttered with a roll of my eyes. "I need a shower."

"We're gonna give you guys some time," Sam called out to Dean and Lisa.

We got back to the motel and I had a long hot shower. When I got out Sam was staring down at a stack of research. I glanced over his shoulder and saw a list of scribbled out names.

"Another case?" I asked.

"What?" Sam said jerking around to me. "Uh, hey Red. I'm starving. You mind going and getting a couple burgers?"

"Sure. I could use a giant bowl of ice cream myself." I shrugged on my jacket and left the room. But I had seen a few names on that list that were familiar. Campbell's. That was Sam and Dean's mother's maiden name. What was Sammy doing?

I was walking back to the motel with a bag of food in one hand and an ice cream cone in the other. I could hear the roar of the motor and knew who it was before the Impala ever pulled up next to me.

"Hey, sexy. You need a ride somewhere?" Dean joked.

"You only want me for my ice-cream," I grinned not looking at him.

"I wish I was that ice cream," Dean muttered quietly but I still heard him. I shot him and glare and he laughed. "Get in."

I opened the door and slid into the passenger seat setting the food down between us. I watched as we drove past the motel with a raised eyebrow.

"Dean, that was it."

"I know. We need to talk."

"Oh, great," I groaned slumping in my seat.

"You gonna tell me what's wrong or am I gonna have to force it out."

"Nothing's wrong Dean! I'm peachy. I've got ice-cream and burgers and we just saved a bunch of brats. I am a-okay."

"I assume it's because I'll be dead in a year." I flinched. "Yeah, that's what I thought." Dean parked the Impala on a pull off on the side of the road.

"Dean honestly I've come to terms with it. It's gonna suck. I'll never be the same but who's fault is that. Oh, yeah… yours."

"Robin," Dean spoke seriously.

"I know. But really I think I'm gonna be okay."

"Can't decide if I should be offended or thankful," Dean said with a slight smile.

"Eh, won't take much to replace you," I kidded.

"You think you'll keep hunting?"

"What else would I do?"

"I dunno. You were good with those kids back there. You could live a normal life. Find you some man who wears tie's everyday, have seven kids, live in a house with a pool."

"I don't think that's gonna happen. I've been through too much to just become normal."

"Yeah, I feel ya," Dean said in deep thought.

"Actually I think you might be on your way." Dean raised an eyebrow at me. "Ben?"

"Oh, he's not mine."

"You sure? Like really really sure cause-"

"She had a blood test done. One hundred percent not my kid."

"You disappointed?" I asked confused. Dean didn't answer and put the car in drive and turned us around heading back to the motel.

"You should though. At least try. Make Sammy an uncle. It'd be great," Dean said smiling.

"Not gonna happen. I'll be hunting till I'm dead."

"Don't say that."

"Fine. Dead or old and pissed like Bobby."


	19. Red Sky at Morning

Thanks for reading guys. Your nice reviews make my day.

Just want you guys to know I am really ahead in writing. I'm currently in the last half of season 5. That way if I ever get writers block I still have stuff to post. Point is if I don't use your suggestions it is probably because I've already written that chapter.

I don't own Supernatural.

* * *

Sam had told us that he'd met the mysterious girl with the demon killing blade and figured out who she was. Her name was Ruby. Oh, and she was a demon. The boys had argued about it for days. I, personally, was torn. I agreed with Dean about not being able to trust her since she was a demon but Sam said she could possibly save him and all I wanted to do was trust her so she could call off his deal.

"So, I've been waiting since Maple Springs," Dean said after a long stretch of silent driving. "You got something to tell me?" I looked between the two brothers from the backseat.

"It's not your birthday," Sam said slowly.

"No."

"Happy Purim?" Sam said before laughing. "Dude, I don't know. I have no idea what you're talking about-"

"There's a bullet missing from the Colt," Dean cut him off. I sat up paying closer attention now. "You want to tell me how that happened? I know it wasn't me. And Red's been with me, so unless you were shooting at some incredibly evil cans.."

"Dean…"

"You went after her, didn't you? The Crossroads Demon. After I told you not to."

"Yeah, well…"

"You could have gotten yourself killed!" Dean said raising his voice.

"I didn't"

"And you shot her."

"She was a smartass!"

"So, what? Does that, does that mean I'm out of my deal?"

"Don't you think I might have mentioned that little fact, Dean? No. Someone else hold the contract."

"Who?"

"She wouldn't say."

"Well, we should find out who," I said from the backseat.

"Yeah, of course, our best lead would be the Crossroads Demon," Dean snarled. "Oh, wait a minute."

"That's not funny," Sam hissed back.

"No, it's not! It was a stupid freaking risk, and you shouldn't have done it."

"I shouldn't have done it?" You're my brother, Dean. And no matter what you do, I'm gonna try to save you. And I'm sure as hell not gonna apologize for it, all right?"

Dean didn't answer and just stared down the road. Sam shook his head sighing at his brother and I relaxed back into the seat. More awkward car ride.

We found a case in Sea Pines, Massachusetts. Apparently a girl drown while taking a shower. It was suspicious since there was no standing water and we happened to be passing through so we thought we'd stop and check it out.

Dean parked the Impala near the docks and we walked to the house of an elderly lady who found the victim. We were dressed in our suits and after a flash of the badges and one look at Sam she let us right in.

"But I don't understand. I already went over all this with the other detectives," the woman named Gertrude said leading us into the home.

"Right, yes. But, see, we're with the Sheriff's Department, not the police department. Different departments," Dean explained.

"So, Mrs. Case," Sam started.

"Please, Ms. Case," she said looking up at Sam seductively.

"Okay. Um, Ms. Case, um… you were the one who found your niece, correct?"

"I came home, she was in the shower."

"Drowned?" I asked scribbling things in my notebook.

"So the coroner says," Gertrude told me. "Now you tell me, how can someone drown in the shower?"

I shrugged and added, _Gert suspicious of drowning,_ right next to, _**MS. **__Granny wants in Sam's pants._

"How would you describe Sheila's behavior in the days before her death?" Sam asked. "I mean, did she seem frightened? Maybe she said something out of the ordinary, or…"

"Wait a minute. You're working with Alex, aren't you?" Gertrude said suspiciously. We looked between each other and Dean shrugged.

"Yep," he said giving the woman a grin. "Absolutely. That's… Alex and us, we're like this." Dean held up to crossed fingers.

"Why didn't you say so? Alex has been such a comfort. But I'm sorry. I thought the case was solved."

"Uh… Well, no," Sam covered. "No, not yet."

"I see."

"So, anyways, we were talking about your niece."

"Well, yes. Sheila mentioned something quite strange before she died. She said she saw a boat."

"A boat?" Dean asked.

"Yes. One minute it was there, then it was gone. It just disappeared right before her eyes. You think it could be a…. ghost ship? Alex thinks it could be a ghost ship."

"Well, um…." Sam started obviously uncomfortable under the intense stare Gertrude was giving him. "Could be."

"Well, you let me know if there's anything else I can do for you," Gertrude said and traced a finger across Sam's hand slowly. I bit my cheek to keep for laughing and grinned at Dean who grinned back before clearing his throat. "Anything at all."

We left the house and headed back to the car. My feet were hurting from walking in the heels and I struggled to keep up with the long legged boys. I could hear Dean tease Sam about Gertrude's flirting and then they discussed the ghost ship theory. A couple walked between us and I sighed rolling my eyes and slumping, wobbling after them.

"Had to park a damn mile from the house," I mumbled to myself. "Never wearing these fuggin shoes again."

I walked up a set of steps from the docks to see Sam and Dean looking around confused. I looked to the spot where we'd parked the Impala and figured out why.

"This is where we parked the car, right?" Dean asked standing in the empty space.

"I thought so," Sam said looking around.

"Where's my car?"

"Did you feed the meter?"

"Yes, I fed the meter," Dean said as his voice rose in panic. "Sam, where's my car? Somebody stole my car!" he yelled stomping back onto the sidewalk.

"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down."

"I am calmed down!" Dean thundered. People were turning to stare. "Somebody stole my ca-.." Dean double over sucking in breath.

"Dean!" I said clomping over to him and laying a hand on his back. "Shh. It's okay. Just breathe."

"Whoa. Dean!" Sam said coming over to us.

"The '67 Impala?" a woman asked sauntering up to us.

Bela. She was a thief we'd met a few weeks back. She'd stolen a lucky rabbits foot from us and shot Sam. We weren't on good terms.

"Was that yours?"

"Bela," Sam sneered.

"I'm sorry. I had that car towed."

"You what?" Dean snapped still distraught.

"Well, it was in a tow-away zone."

"No, it wasn't!"

"It was when I finished with it."

"What the hell are you even doing here?"

"A little yachting."

"You're Alex," Sam discovered. "You're working with that old lady."

"Gert's a dear old friend."

"Yeah, right," Dean said. "What's your angle?"

"There's no angle. There's a lot of lovely old women like Gert up and down the eastern seaboard. I sell them charms, perform seances so they can commune with their dead cats."

"And let me guess, it's all a con, none of it's real."

"The comfort I provide them is very real."

"How do you sleep at night?" Sam asked.

"On silk sheets, rolling naked in money. Really, Sam. I'd expect the attitude from him, but you?"

"You shot me!"

"I barely grazed you."

"You do know what's going on around here. The ghost-ship thing, it is real," Dean said.

"I'm aware. Thanks for telling Gert the case wasn't solved, by the way."

"It isn't."

"She didn't know that. Now the old bag's stopped payment and she's demanding some real answers. Look… just stay out of my way before you can cause any more trouble. I'd get to that car if I were you… before they find the arsenal in the trunk." Bela turned to walk off gliding gracefully in her heels. I watched jealous.

"Can I shoot her?" Dean asked. I started to pull my gun out for him but Sam stopped me.

"Not in public."

"Let's go get the car," I said pulling my shoes off and leaving them on the sidewalk, continuing barefoot.

"There was another one," Sam said knocking on the doorframe of the room I was staying in at the house we were 'borrowing.'

"Coming," I groaned rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

I pulled on a pair of slacks and my boots. Luckily the pants were long enough to cover most of the scuffs on them. I met the boys downstairs and we headed to the crime scene.

Bela was already there disguised as a reporter and questioning the victims brother who found him.

Dean ran Bela off and we spoke to the man. He said his brother had seen the ship then continued to describe the ship in great detail. When we questioned how he knew all of it he mentioned he had seen the ship too.

We knew since the brother had also seen the ship that there was a good chance he'd be the next victim. Now we sat outside his house keeping watch in the Impala. Of course we got caught.

"What are you guys doing?! You watching me?" the man, Peter, said running out of his house and yelling towards us.

"Sir, calm down. Please," Sam said getting out of the car. Dean and I followed.

"You guys aren't cops! Not dressed like that. Not, not in that crappy car."

"Whoa, hey!" Dean said throwing his hands up. "No need to get nasty."

"We are cops, okay?" Sam tried to explain. "We're undercover. We're here because we think you're in danger."

"From who?"

"If you just settle down, we'll talk about it."

"Look, you guys just stay away from me!" Peter ran off and got into his car. He started and drove towards the gate to leave.

"Wait!" Sam yelled after him.

"Hey, you moron!" Dean yelled. "We're trying to help you!"

Suddenly, Peter's car shut off and came to a stop.

"That can't be good."

"No. Get the salt gun." Dean and I ran back to the car and popped the trunk. We pulled out the guns and raced back over to the car where Sam was trying to get in.

"Sam!" Dean called and Sam ducked as Dean shot into the car at the spirit in the passenger seat.

The spirit disappeared and I rushed over to unlock the door through the broken window. Sam jerked the drivers door open and checked Peter for a pulse. Nothing. Dean smacked the car in frustration beside me. This wasn't working out in our favor.

The next day we were sitting in the main room of the house we were at, researching. I was sitting on the couch scrolling through a site on the laptop, Sam was at the table flipping through a book and Dean was on his phone probably doing something unrelated. We all looked up when there was a knock on the door.

Dean went to the door and checked to see who it was. He turned to us and rolled is eyes before opening the door to reveal Bela. She walked in without a word and looked around.

"Dear… God. Are you actually squatting? Charming. So, how'd things go last night with Peter?" None of us said anything. "That well, huh?"

"If you say I told you so, I swear to God I'll start swinging," Dean reported.

"Look, I think the four of us should have a heart-to-heart."

"That's assuming that you have a heart."

"Dean, please… I'm sorry about what I said before, okay? I come bearing gifts."

"Such as?" Sam asked.

"I've ID'd the ship," Bela said and unzipped the portfolio in her hand. I sighed and stood from the couch to take a seat at the table where she was setting the files down.

She told us all she'd found out. Turns out the spirit was a sailor who'd been hanged. Now his spirit was attached to his hand that now resides in the Sea Pine's museum.

The only reason Bela came to us with this information was because she needed help. And by help I mean she needed a date. Two dates. Two males. One for her, and one for Ms. Gertrude to attend a ball happening at the museum.

Sam was going with Gert and Dean would go with Bela. I would park the Impala outside the museum and tap into their security camera's to give them an extra pair of eyes.

"Hey," Dean said knocking on my doorframe.

I looked up from the computer and headsets I'd laid out to Dean. He stood in the doorway in a well fitted tux looking like some kind of badass, sexy, American James Bond. I let out a wolf whistle.

"Shut up," Dean said bashfully. "Sam said you knew how to do this." Dean held up his bow tie.

"Yeah," I said with a giggle. "Come here. I had to google it to tie Sam's."

I stood and Dean handed me the tie. I popped his collar up and stood on my toes to wrap it around his neck. I felt silly standing next to him. I was wearing a pair of torn jeans, barefoot with chipped toe nail polish, and a slightly oversized flannel shirt.

"There," I said straightening the tie. I looked up at him with a grin but he was staring down at me and his expression was far away, deep in thought as he studied me. "You okay? Too tight?"

"Huh? Oh, you're fine- it's fine," Dean said closing his eyes and shaking his head slightly. "Sure you can't come?"

"No can do. But I'll be right here," I said picking up an earpiece for him, "the whole time." I handed him the earpiece and he turned to the mirror to put it in place.

"I look ridiculous," he mumbled.

"What is taking so long?" Bela yelled from downstairs.

I had nearly forgotten about her. I'm sure she was dressed to the nine's and stunning. And she was going to get to prance around in her Louboutins on Dean's arm all night. While I, of course, got to sit in the car.

"Sam's already halfway there.. with his date."

"So not okay with this!" Dean yelled back to her and turned from the mirror back to me.

"What are you, a woman? Come down already!"

"Go on, Dean. You look hot," I said with a wink and a grin.

"Now I really don't believe you," he said and gave me a kiss on the forehead before leaving.

I packed up my stuff and heard them leave. I grabbed the keys to the Impala and made my way out to the car. I parked the car down the road from the museum where I could see the finely dressed people walking in. I spotted Bela's car and Ms. Gerts. I pulled the laptop up and clicked my way through to the security monitors. I stuck an earpiece in and turned it on.

"You with me boys?" I asked.

"Gotcha," Sam answered.

"Save me," Dean mumbled. I pulled a screen up bigger and saw them standing in a room downstairs next to the bar. Bela and Gert were chatting and Sam and Dean stood uncomfortable next to each other.

"I'm the one who needs saving," I heard Sam grit out and watched at he glared at Gert.

"Behave," I said back.

"Just find the damn hand," Dean mumbled behind his champagne glass.

"On it," I said clicking off the video of them and looking through the other cameras. One room had a glass case in the middle. I zoomed in and found the mummified hand. "It's upstairs. Room 235."

"Great," Dean said and I switched back to see him hand Bela a glass and leave Sam. I muted Sam's mic and focused on getting Dean to the hand. "How do we get up there?"

"Not much I can do from here," I said trying to find a way around the security around the stairs.

"What do you suggest?" Bela asked Dean.

"I'm thinking."

"Don't strain yourself. Interesting how the legend is so much more than the man."

"Ouch," I said more to myself but Dean heard.

"You got any bright ideas, I'm all ears," he said ignoring me.

"Okay," Bela said before letting out a sigh and collapsing. Dean's reflexing caused him to reach out and catch her but I still wish he'd let her hit the ground.

"Oh, she's good," I said.

"Honey? Honey, are you all right?" Dean said loud enough to get someone's attention.

"What seems to be the trouble?" a guard asked.

"Ah… champagne! My wife, she's a lightweight when it comes to the sauce. Is there somewhere I can lay her down till she gets her sea legs back?" The guard sighed and looked around. His eyes looked upstairs.

"Follow me," he said.

"Right," Dean said and handed the guard Bela's purse before lifting her up and taking her up the stairs. I switched through the camera's until I found them in a room upstairs. Dean laid Bela on the couch roughly and the guard left.

"Hey, maybe next time give me a little heads up with your plan?" Dean hissed at her.

"I didn't want you thinking. You're not very good at that."

"Bitch," I said and saw Dean nod in agreement on the camera.

"Oh, look at you," Bela said from the couch. "Searching for a witty rejoinder."

"Screw you," Dean snapped.

"Very Oscar Wilde. I'm guessing your tomboy has found the hand?"

"Tomboy? What the f-"

"Yeah. Room 235," Dean interrupted me.

"It'll be wired for alarm. I'm sure that won't be a problem." Dean mumbled back mockingly at her and left.

"It's down the hall on the left," I instructed. Dean entered the room and I switched the camera over to watch him and the hall camera simultaneously.

"Yahtzee," Dean said and walked to the glass case in the middle of the room. He popped a panel off the bottom revealing the wires to the alarm. "Which ones?"

"What do you mean which ones? I can't even see it. I don't know."

"Help me out here, Red."

"Try the green one."

"There isn't a green one."

"Eenie meenie miney moe then!"

Dean mumbled something I couldn't make out and started on the wires. I guess he knew more than he gave himself credit for because soon he was lifted the glass case away. He picked up the hand and stuffed it in his jacket pocket.

"Ick," I said snarling.

"Let's get out of here." Dean left the room and started back to Bela.

"Guard. Dean, guard!" But it was too late. Dean ran right into the guard as he turned the corner.

"Whoa. Sorry!" Dean said to the guard. "It's, uh… nature called."

"Ah huh," the guard responded.

"Thanks for looking after my wife."

"Oh, she's… being looked after, all right." The guard walked off down the hall. Dean entered the room with Bela.

"I'm parked down the block. In front of a park under some trees. I'll be waiting," I told both the boys and pulled the earpiece from my ear and started packing up. I got out of the front seat and into the back about the time the boys exited the museum. They got in the car and Sam started removing his tie.

"You got it right?" Sam asked. "Tell me I didn't get groped all night by Mrs. Havisham for nothing."

"I got it… Mrs. Who?"

"Never mind. Just let me see it." I relaxed back into my seat while Dean removed the hand from his pocket but when I saw his face turn confused I sat up again.

"What is it?" I asked. Dean held up a bottle that was in his pocket where the hand should have been.

"I'm gonna kill her."

We got back to the house and the boys immediately went to change into their normal clothes. I sat at the table and flipped through a book to find any other way to get rid of the ghost ship. I heard someone stomp down the stairs and Dean flopped into a chair next to me a moment later.

"I should've kept the camera's on until you got out. I could've watched her," I sighed.

"No. She's good. If I didn't notice you probably wouldn't have either. All I know is I'm going to kill that bitch," Dean said and stood up again to walk over to the fireplace and picked up the bottle she'd placed in his pocket.

"No you're not," Sam said coming back into the room.

"You know what, you're right. I'm not gonna kill her. I think slow torture's the way to go."

"Dean, look, you gotta relax," Sam said picking up a book himself.

"Relax! Oh yeah, yeah, I'll relax. I can't believe she got another one over on us!"

"You," Sam said quietly.

"What?"

"I… I mean, she got… one over.. on you, not us."

"Thank you!" Dean yelled. "Sam. Very helpful." I placed my head in my hands and groaned. My head shot back up when there was knocking on the door.

"Hello? Could you open up?" Bela said from the other side. I stood and Sam and Dean went to the door. Dean jerked it open and Bela stood there. "Just let me explain."

Dean almost said something but Sam stopped him and let Bela in. Bela slowly walked over to the table where I stood and took a seat. I remained standing, glaring at her.

"I sold it. I had a buyer lined up as soon as I knew it existed," Bela explained. Dean walked behind her and held his fingers up in a shooting motion at her head.

"So the whole reason for us going to the charity ball was?" Sam asked.

"I needed a cover. You were convenient."

"Look, you sold it to a buyer. Just go buy it back."

"It's halfway across the ocean. I can't get it back in time."

"In time for what?" Dean asked. Bela looked down not answering.

"What's going on with you, Bela? You look like you've seen a ghost," Sam said which made me realize what was going on.

"You saw the ship," I said. Bela looked up at me with a desperate look in her eyes.

"Wow," Dean said walking back over to the table. "You know, I knew you were an immoral thieving con artist bitch, but just when I thought my opinion of you couldn't get any lower,"

"What are you talking about?" Bela asked.

"We figured out the spirit's motive," Sam said pulling out a photo and showing it to Bela. "This is the captain of our ship. The one who hung our ghost boy."

"So?"

"So they were brothers. Very Cain and Abel. So now our spirit, he's going after a very specific kind of target. People who've spilled their own family's blood. See first there was Sheila who killed her cousin in a car accident. And the Warren brother, who murdered their father for the inheritance. And now you."

"Oh my God."

"So who was it, Bela?" Dean asked with a smug look on his face. "Hmm? Who'd you kill? Was it Daddy? Your little sis, maybe?"

"It's none of your business."

"No? Right. Well, have a nice life. You know, whatever's left of it. Sam, Red, let's go," Dean said gathering his stuff.

"You can't just leave me here," Bela begged.

"Watch us."

"Please. I need your help."

"What'd you do, Bela?" Sam asked.

"You wouldn't understand. No one did. Never mind. I'll just do what I've always done, I'll deal with it myself." Bela turned to leave.

"You do realize you just sold the one thing that could save your life," Dean added before she walked out the door.

"I'm aware."

"Well…" Sam said slowly. "Maybe not the only thing."

It was dark out and the only thing illuminating the graveyard we were in was the full moon and the candles Sam and I were setting up for some ritual Sam was going to do.

"Do you really think this is going to work?" Bela asked from her spot next to Dean.

"Almost definitely not," Dean answered as I walked over to them. Thunder rolled overhead and rain started to fall heavily.

"Oh hell no. I am not catching pneumonia for this bitch. Dean give me the keys I'm sitting in the car," I said holding my hand out to him.

"Sammy! You better start reading," Dean said stepping towards me with his gun out.

I zipped my jacket up and picked up my shotgun as Sam started reading off the Latin. The storm got worse and the candles were blown out. The clouds rolled over the full moon and we were left with only the lightning to let us see.

"Stay close," Dean yelled to Bela and I raised my shotgun ready for whatever was coming.

"Behind you!" Bela yelled and I twisted around in time to see the spirit throw Dean through the air and into a tombstone. I raised my gun and shot the spirit. It disappeared for a second before reappearing beside Bela. It reached up and touched her and she began coughing water up.

"Bela!" I yelled trying to find a shot to shoot the spirit without hitting Bela too. Bela fell to her knees and the spirit disappeared reappearing in front of me and knocking the shotgun away. "Damn it!" I dodged around the spirit and ran over to Bela holding her and keeping her from falling to the ground completely. Dean hit the ground next to us.

"Sammy, read faster!" he yelled.

Sam finished reading and the rain slowed. The water stopped flowing from Bela's mouth and her coughing calmed. I looked up to see the spirit facing another spirit. His brother. They exchanged some words and then the spirit charged at his brother and they dissolved into a splash of water.

The rain stopped completely and Bela sat up gasping for breath. I fell back on my haunches and took a breath myself.

"You're welcome," I sneered. Dean patted me on the back and stood helping me up. I considered leaving Bela on the ground but ended up reaching down to help her up too.

We dropped Bela off at the hotel she was staying at and went on back to the house. By that time my hair had mostly dried and resembled something like a poodles bad hair day. I dug around in my bag for a hair brush deciding a pony tail was the best bet until Sam got out of the only working shower we had.

"Leave it," Dean said. "It's adorable."

"Shut the hell up," I said flipping him off and pulling my hair up. "God, I hope we never see her again."

"Amen."

"She called me a tomboy," I said throwing the hairbrush back into the bag. Dean laughed. "What? I'm girly. I read romance novels and paint my toenails." I looked down at my bare feet and tried to cover my toes up with one another. "Sometimes."

"Red," Dean said walking over to me with a grin. "You are gorgeous. Gorgeous and badass."

"You're only saying that cause you're stuck with me literally until you die."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," he said serious.

"I'm not going to promise hot water but the shower is now open," Sam said coming down the stairs.

"Dibbs!" Dean said rushing towards the stairs.

"Dean!" I yelled after him. "Ladies first!"

"Since when are you a lady?" he said back winking. "We could always share."

I huffed and fell back onto the couch crossing my arms with a pout. Sam was laughing at us and sat next to me.

"You look like a poodles bad hair day," Sam said once Dean had gone.

The next morning we were packing getting ready to leave finally. I was so tired of this house. Sure I got my own room but I had to sleep on the floor. Sharing a bed with one of the boys was still better than the splintery hardwood.

The front door opened and Bela walked in. Her hair was perfect and her outfit was like something out of a magazine. I rolled my eyes continuing to stuff things into my bag.

"You should learn to lock your doors. Anyone could just barge in," she said.

"Anyone just did," Sam said. "Did you come to say goodbye or thank you?"

"I've come to settle affairs. Giving the spirit what he really wanted, his own brother, very clever, Sam. So here," she said tossing us each a packet of money. "It's fifteen thousand. That should cover it. I don't like being in anyone's debt."

"And ponying up fifteen grand is easier for you than a simple thank you?" Dean asked. Bela smiled. "You're so damaged."

"Takes one to now one. Goodbye lads," Bela said and left.

"Lads? I fuggin hate her," I hissed.

"She's got style. You gotta give her that," Sam said to me. I glared back at him. "You know, Dean, we don't know where this money's been."

"No, but I know where it's going," Dean answered.


	20. Fresh Blood

I promise big Dean and Red stuff is coming up very soon. Until then, here's some vampires.

I don't own Supernatural.

* * *

The next hunt turned out to be vampires. We'd caught the case in Albany, New York. Now we were tracking a vampire down an alley. We ran up on a man on the ground with a fresh neck wound from the vampire.

"Hey, hey," Sam soothed. "Don't worry. We're gonna call you some help, okay?"

"Where is she?" Dean yelled. "Where'd she go?"

The man gestured down the alley and Dean took off in that direction. I stayed with Sam and helped the man to a bench on the street and called an ambulance. Then we both ran off to find Dean.

I could see him up ahead holding a vampire away from his neck while he stabbed her with the syringe full of dead mans blood. She fell to the ground and Dean let out a victorious yell. Sam and I came to a stop next to him.

"What?" he asked us.

"Cutting it a little close, don't you think?" Sam asked.

"Ah… just chumin' the water. Worked, didn't it?" Dean looked down at the cut on his arm. "Ow." I let out a sigh and rolled my eyes.

"Let's get her out of here," I said.

We had the vampire tied up in a room with the windows blacked out. Sam and Dean stood over her when she began to stir. I sat back letting them handle it.

"You with us?" Dean asked once she woke up and started looking around disoriented. She began to struggle against the bonds. "Oh, yeah, sorry. You're not going anywhere."

"Where's your nest?" Sam asked.

"What?" she asked confused.

"Your nest… where you and your bloodsucking pals hang out," Dean demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Please! I don't feel good."

"Yeah, well, you're gonna feel a hell of a lot worse if we give you another shot of dead man's blood."

"Just let me go."

"Yeah, you know we can't do that," Sam said with a laugh.

"I'm telling you the truth. I'm just… I took something. I'm freaking out! I don't know what's going on!"

"You took something?"

"Yes! I can't… come down. I just want to come down!" We all exchanged a look.

"Great," I said landing my face into my hands.

Turns out the girl had gone to a club, met some sketchy guy, he gave her some new drug, new drug turned out to be vampires blood. Dean took her head off after she gave us her story and we started researching this 'Spider' bar she'd been at.

Two other girls had gone missing from the same bar. Naturally, the easiest way I saw to find the guy was to be bait. Dean didn't agree.

"What the hell, Red? No!"

"I'm not going to take the drug, Dean. I just gotta find him. Send you guys the signal and we'll chop his head off. Easy."

"I'm sorry. Do you not remember the last time you were bait?"

"Yeah. But vampires are way easier to kill than serial killing ghosts."

"She should be fine, Dean," Sam argued. "We'll sit back in the bar and watch. As soon as she gets picked up we'll follow them out." Dean thought about it for a bit sighing loudly.

"Don't drink anything at all!" he said pointing at me.

"Geez. Yes, mother."

I sat at the bar alone scanning the area for a man fitting the description the girl had given us. Sam and Dean sat at a booth somewhere behind me.

I saw a man enter and looked him up and down deciding it could be him. He scanned the crowd and met my eyes. I gave him a flirty smirk back and batted my eyelashes. He walked through the crowd and over to me taking a seat at the empty stool next to me.

"Hey, there," he said smiling. "Why is someone as gorgeous as you without a drink right now?"

"I can't help but wondering the same," I said leaning closer to him. I knew Dean was probably having a cow. He deserved it.

The man turned to get the bartenders attention and I stopped him by laying a hand on his.

"Actually, I've been here a while. Getting kind of tired of the scenery. What do you say we change it?"

"Come on," he said taking my hand and leading me away from the bar. I followed after him and turned my head to see Sam and Dean leaving their booth inconspicuously.

Once we were out in the alley the man turned to me.

"I got something I think you might like. You wanna try?" he said pulling out a small vile.

"Ooh, something good I hope," I said with my hands against his chest. I was facing the door and waiting for the boys to show up.

"The best you'll ever have."

He raised the dropper and instead of opening my mouth I shoved him backwards into a wall and punched him across the jaw. Sam and Dean were taking too long. I pulled the dagger out of my boot and swung at his neck but he caught me and knocked the knife away. He twisted my wrist behind my back but I kicked backwards landing my heel into his shin. Sam and Dean burst into the alley about that time.

Dean grabbed him and punched him but he threw Dean backwards and took off. Sam started after him and I helped Dean up. We ran after Sam and when we turned a corner we saw Sam standing facing two other figures.

One stepped into the light to reveal none other than Gordon Walker. He raised his gun level with Sam's head. We ducked behind a car while he and the other guy shot at us. We were sitting behind a dumpster when they stopped to reload.

"All right. Run. I'll draw them off," Dean said.

"What? No, you're crazy!" Sam said but Dean darted out from behind the dumpster anyway. Gordon and the other guy shot at Dean while Sam and I ran back the way we came.

Sam and I arrived back at the motel and I stomped inside shedding my jacket.

"Your brother is such a dumbass!" I said slinging the jacket onto a bed. Sam only sighed. I sat down but immediately stood back up. "We should go find him."

"We'll give him an hour. Just calm down, Red. He'll be fine."

"One hour then I'm shooting him myself."

The hour passed slow. I checked my watch every two minutes and compared it to the alarm clock to make sure it was right. Sam peeked out of the window and paced.

Finally, the door opened and Dean strode in. I jumped up as did Sam to meet him.

"There you are!" Sam said.

"Yeah. Sorry, I stopped for a slice," Dean said unconcerned.

"Nice move you pulled back there, Dean running right at the weapons!"

"Well, what can I say? I'm a badass." Dean smiled at me but my jaw was tense. "So, I guess Gordon's out of jail."

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," Sam said still pissed. "You know, how the hell did he know where to find us?" Dean started to shrug and shake his head but stopped realizing something.

"That bitch," he said and pulled out his phone dialing a number. I looked to Sam who shrugged. "Hi, Bela." I threw my hands up and flopped onto the bed. "Question for you. When you called me yesterday, it wasn't to thank me for saving your ass, was it?… Excuse me?… I don't know, maybe pick up the phone and tell us that a raging psychopath was dropping by?!… He tried to kill us… There were two of them… Bela, if we make it out of this alive, the first thing I'm gonna do is kill you… Listen to my voice and tell me if I'm serious."

And he was. Dean snapped the phone shut and fumed over the fact that Bela had betrayed us again. But honestly what did he expect? I would've told him it was his own fault but decided against it. If he wanted to be a complete idiot with only a few more months left to live then let him.

Bela ended up being more help than we originally thought. She called Dean back with Gordon's location. We packed our weapons up and headed to the two story riverfront building.

We walked down a set of stairs to a room where a man sat kneeling. It was the vampire from the bar. Hanging from the ceiling were two headless bodies of women. I assumed the two that had gone missing from the bar. I held my machete out and the boys had their guns drawn. Dean picked up a knife from a table and approached the man.

"Go ahead. Do it," he said. "Kill me."

"What happened here?" Sam asked.

"Gordon. Walker," the vampire bit out. "I never should have brought a hunter here. Never. I just… I just wanted some kind of revenge. Stupid… exposing my family."

"Oh, yeah, you're such a family man," Dean said.

"You don't understand."

"I don't want to understand, you son of-"

"I was desperate! You ever felt desperate? I've lost everyone I ever loved. I'm starting down eternity alone. Can you think of a worse hell?" I looked up at Dean.

"Well, there's Hell," he answered the vampire. I walked towards Sam to inspect the bodies.

"I wasn't thinking. I just… I didn't care anymore. Do you know what it's like when you just don't give a damn? It's like… it's like being dead already. So just go ahead. Do it."

"Dean," Sam said bringing Dean's attention over to us and the bodies. "Head wasn't cut off, it was ripped off. With someone's bare hands. Dixon, what did you do to Gordon?"

We were back at the motel. I was looking over maps with Sam and Dean was out searching motels for Gordon. We hadn't found anything so far. After Dean returned with no luck Sam smashed our phones so Gordon couldn't track us.

"You guys stay here," Dean said pulling the Colt out of his bag.

"What? Where are you going now?" Sam asked.

"I"m going after Gordon."

"Alone?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"No you're not," Sam said.

"Sam, I don't need you to sign me a permission slip, okay? He's after you, not me, and he's turbocharged."

"Well then I'll go with you," I said pulling my boots on.

"No. Stay with Sam. I'll take care of it."

"Dean, you're not going by yourself. You're gonna get yourself killed," Sam argued.

"Just another day at the office. It's a massively dangerous day at the office."

"So you're the guy with nothing to lose now, huh? Oh wait, let me guess. Because, uh, it's because you're already dead, right?"

"If the shoe fits."

"You now what, man? I'm sick and tired of your kamikaze trip."

"Whoa, whoa, kamikaze? I'm more like a ninja."

"That's not funny."

"It's a little funny," Dean said and looked to me for support but I shook my head.

"No. It's not."

"What do you want me to do, huh? Sit around all day writing sad poems about how I'm gonna die? You know what? I got one. Let's see, what rhymes with 'shut up, Sam' and 'leave me alone, Red'?"

"Dude, drop the attitude, Dean," Sam said. "Quit turning everything into a punch line. And you know something else? Stop trying to act like you're not afraid!"

"I'm not!"

"You're lying. And you may as well drop it cause I can see right through you. And I know Red can too."

"You got no idea what you're talking about."

"Yeah, I do. You're scared, Dean. You're scared because your year is running out, and you're still going to Hell, and you're freaked."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because I know you!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've been following you around my entire life! I mean, I've been looking up to you since I was four, Dean. Studying you, trying to be just like my big brother. So yeah, I know you. And this is exactly how you act when you're terrified. And, i mean, I can't blame you. It's just…"

"What?"

"I wish you would drop the show and be my brother again. Cause… just cause." Dean considered all that Sam had just said. I sat at the table taking it all in myself.

"All right, we'll hole up, cover our scent so he can't track us, and wait the night out here."

We prepared the motel room to keep us safe through the night. The mattresses were stacked against the window to keep anyone from seeing in. Dean shoved the bed frames against the door so it couldn't be opened and Sam and I prepared some sage to burn to keep Gordon from catching our scent.

Dean sat in a chair sharpening his machete and I sat on the floor below him with my back against his leg playing solitaire with a deck of cards. Sam stood at the window peeking out. He came and took a seat in a chair next to Dean. Dean's phone rang and I looked up at him from my game.

"You've had that phone two hours, Dean. Who'd you give the number to?" Sam asked.

"Nobody," Dean said and answered. "Hello?… How'd you get this number?… Well, I guess you'll just have to find us, won't you… What's the matter, Gordo? You're not afraid of us, are you? We're just sitting here. Bring it on…Gordon let the girl go…. Gordon! Don't do this… you don't kill innocent people. You're still a hunter." Dean snapped the phone shut once Gordon hung up. "He's at a factory on riverside off the turnpike. He's got some girl there gonna kill her."

"Let's go then," I said standing and grabbing my machete and strapping it to my leg. The boy's followed suit and soon we were out the door and down the road.

We arrived at the factory and Dean led us inside with the Colt drawn. Sam and I followed with our machete's. We heard a whimper and found the girl Gordon had taken hostage.

"Hey, we got you. Don't worry. We're gonna get you out of here," Sam said while he and Dean untied her and I stood watch. "Get up. Watch your head. Watch your head."

The woman could barely walk from being tied up for so long and Dean handed me the Colt and picked her up. I held the Colt ready and led the group back the way we'd come. Dean was behind me with the girl and Sam took up the rear with his machete.

"Sam, stay close," Dean told his brother. We walked through the door and only Dean and I made it before it slide shut quickly cutting Sam off and leaving him in the other room. "Sam!" Dean yelled putting the girl down and kicking at the door. I looked around trying to find a way to raise it but found nothing.

"Dean!" Sam yelled from the other side.

"Damn it, Sam!"

"Sam, be careful!" I yelled through the door.

Dean looked around until he found a metal pipe and started banging on the door. I walked down the hall to see if there was a control switch by another door. I heard a thud unlike the one's Dean had been making with the pipe and turned to see the girl had turned into a vampire and was going after Dean. I pulled the Colt from my waistband and shot her in the back of the head. She jerked forwards before falling to her knees and then to the ground dead. Dean looked up at me from his spot on the ground.

"Thanks," he breathed. I helped him up and handed him the Colt.

"Come on. Let's find another way around."

We ran down the hall and heard a crash. We exchanged a look before running into a room to find that Sam and Gordon had crashed through a wall. Dean ran in and held the Colt up to Gordon head but he jerked around and threw both Dean and the Colt to the side. I ran up next with my machete raised and sliced at Gordon missing him by a millimeter. He threw a punch and knocked me backwards busting my lip open.

When my head stopped spinning I saw that Gordon had Dean up against the wall drinking his blood from his neck. I blinked quickly trying to find my head but Sam pulled Gordon off Dean before I could stand. The two of them wrestled and fought back and forth for a while. Finally, Sam got the upper hand and wrapped a strand of razor wire around Gordon's throat pulling each end of it. I watched as Sam pulled tighter and tighter until the razor wire finally cut Gordon's head off.

Sam stood gasping and looking between his bloodied hands and Gordon. I got to my knees and crawled over to Dean who was stirring.

"Dean?" I asked checking his neck. He groaned and opened his eyes. He looked up at me and his eyes settled on my busted lip before they moved to Sam. I helped him stand and we walked over to Sam. Dean looked between Gordon and Sam.

"You just charged a super-vamped-out Gordon with no weapon. That's a little reckless, don't you think?" Dean said holding his neck. Sam scoffed but was smiling. We left the factory and the decapitated body of Gordon behind.

I headed back to the spot where the boys had the Impala parked. I had a grocery bag with the essentials, Doritos and beer and a few other things I'd gotten for myself. The stack of bills Bela had given me was smaller now but I felt better.

I approached the car where Sam was under the hood working. Dean sat on the cooler next to the car drinking from a beer and giving Sam instructions. I thought this was weird but didn't say anything. I opened the door to the car and set the bag inside.

"Red?" Dean asked. I turned to look at him and he gave me a wolf whistle. "Did some shopping I see."

Sam peeked out from under the hood to look at me and I rolled my eyes shutting the door and leaning against the car.

"Nice coat," Sam said.

"Thanks," I said popping the collar up on my new knee length black pea coat. "Makes me feel like Sherlock Holmes."

"That's gonna be ruined in a month," Dean said.

"Shut up. It's all on Bela's expense anyway." I opened up the car again shedding the coat and throwing it in the backseat before sliding in. Dean joined me on the drivers side.

"This isn't about that tomboy comment is it?" he asked handing me a beer.

"I needed a new coat, Dean. Besides, the last time I went shopping was probably something like five years ago. So I deserve it."

"I'm not saying you don't."

"Why's Sam fixing the car?" I asked. Dean didn't say anything for a beat.

"He'll need to know how. It's gonna belong to him in a few months." My heart crashed in my stomach.

"Oh," I said quietly. Dean reached over and drug me across the seat to sit against him with his arm wrapped around me.

"So, what else did you get? Any sexy underwear?" Dean said raising an eyebrow at me.

"Only for Sam," I said grinning and taking a sip from my beer. Dean chuckled and kissed the top of my head.


	21. Dream a Little Dream of Me

I came out of the bathroom of the motel room we were staying at and Dean sat on the bed flipping through TV channels. Sam was gone.

"Where'd Sam go?"

"Out," Dean answered and stood from the bed. I went on brushing out my wet hair and Dean walked up behind me.

"When he gets back we should get some food. I'm starving."

"Me too," Dean said absently watching me through the mirror from his spot leaned against the wall behind me. I finished brushing my hair and turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Me?" Dean asked gesturing to himself. I looked around the room for anyone else I might've been talking to. "Oh, I'm good, Robin. What about you, gorgeous?"

"Yeah. I'm good? Dean, no offense but you're being weird."

Dean stepped up closer to me with a grin on his face. I backed up until I hit the counter behind me. Dean continued walking up until he stood an inch away from me.

"You wanna know what I've always thought of you, Robin?" Dean said with his lips a breath away from mine. I was only freaking out a lot.

"Dean, what the hell?"

"Figure I better let all this out since I'll be dead in a few months," he said and crashed his lips to mine.

My eyes were wide but I couldn't help but to give in. I relaxed and his arms wrapped around me. One hand traveled up my back and his hand tangled in my hair. Only he was pulling too roughly. And pushing me against the counter too hard.

"Or maybe I won't be dead," he breathed. He opened his eyes and I stared back into the green orbs.

"Dean, you're hurting me," I warned.

"Maybe I'll be just fine," he said and his eyes flashed black.

I screamed and jerked up in bed gasping for breath. Dean sat up next to me and laid a hand on my back worried.

"Red? Robin? It's okay. It was just a dream," he assured. I turned and looked at him wide eyed backing away slightly. I stared at his eyes and then over to Sam who watched on confused. "It's okay, Red."

"Yeah," I breathed out.

"You wanna talk about it?" Sam asked. I shook my head quickly and gulped.

"Just go back to sleep. We're right here," Dean said softly.

A part of me wanted to get up and move to Sam's bed but I knew that would raise alarm. The other part of me wanted to curl up into Dean's side and hold onto him tight. That's what I ended up doing. Dean didn't question me anymore and wrapped his arm around me.

Sam went back to sleep and soon Dean's breathing was steady as he fell asleep too. But I stayed awake all night, clutching to Dean, scared to death of what he could become in hell.

The next morning I was sitting at the table reading the paper and eating breakfast. The boys were having an argument over the sink. My phone rang and I looked at the unknown number and answered it anyway.

"Hello?" I asked with a mouth full of food. "Yes, this is Ms. Snyderson."

"Ma'am, this is Doctor Burns at the Pittsburg Hospital. We have a Bobby Singer here. You were the first on his emergency contact."

"What? Is he okay?" I asked standing abruptly. The boys stopped bickering and turned to look at me.

"Ma'am, is there anyway you can come here to speak in person."

"I'm on my way," I said and hung up grabbing my boots. "It's Bobby. He's in the Pittsburg Hospital. We gotta go."

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. Doc wouldn't tell me on the phone."

"Son of a bitch," Dean said grabbing up his bag.

We arrived at the hospital and were allowed back to see Bobby since we were the only three people on his emergency contact list. Bobby lay in a hospital bed hooked up to the machines unconscious. The doctor walked in.

"Ms. Snyderson? I believe we spoke on the phone," he said sticking his hand out. I shook it.

"Yes, we did."

"So, what's the diagnosis?" Sam asked.

"We've tested everything we can think to test. He seems perfectly healthy."

"Except that he's comatose," Dean added.

"Ms. Snyderson, you're his emergency contact. Anything we should know? Any illnesses?" I shook my head.

"No, he never gets sick," Dean clarified. "I mean, he doesn't even catch cold."

"Doctor, is there anything you can do?" Sam asked.

"Look, I'm sorry, but we don't know what's causing it… so we don't know how to treat it. He just… went to sleep, and didn't wake up."

"Thank you, Doctor," I said excusing him. "Well, let's get to the motel and fix him."

We got to the motel room Bobby had been staying at and it was strangely clean.

"You'd think there'd be some sort of sign of something, you know?" Dean said as we searched the drawers for any clues on what Bobby was doing. "Research, news clippings. Or a friggin pizza box or a beer can. He didn't say anything to you, Red?"

"I haven't heard from him in a few weeks."

"How about this?" Sam said drawing our attention to the closet. Sam pushed the clothes out of the way revealing all of the research Bobby had done taped to the back of the closet.

"Good old Bobby, always covering up his tracks," Dean said looking it over.

"You make heads or tails of any of this?" Sam asked us. I shook my head and Dean plucked a piece of paper from the wall.

"'Silene capensis', which of course means absolutely nothing to me."

"Here. Obit," Sam said removing the news paper clipping. "Dr. Walter Gregg, 64, university neurologist."

"How'd he bite it?"

"Um.. actually, they don't know. They say he just went to sleep and didn't wake up."

"Great. And Bobby caught what the doctor had," I said rubbing my temples.

"All right, um… So let's say Bobby was looking into the doc's death. You, know hunting after something-" Sam said.

"that started hunting him," Dean finished.

"Yeah."

"All right, you two stay here. See if you can figure any of this out," Dean said pointing to the closet.

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna look into the good doctor myself."

Dean called us a little while later and told us what he'd figured out. The doctor experimented with dreams. Sam and I used the new information to research and told Dean we'd meet him at the hospital later.

We walked into the hospital and headed to Bobby's room. Sam had a folder with the new information tucked under his arm. I walked in the room and Dean sat by Bobby's bed. I walked up to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me and Sam and stood.

"How is he?" Sam asked.

"No change. What you got?" Sam set the file on the table at the foot of the bed and we stood around it as Sam explained what was going on.

"Well, considering what you told us about the doc's experiments, Bobby's wall is starting to make a hell of a lot more sense."

"How so?" Sam held up the picture of the plant Dean had been looking at earlier. Sam explained to Dean how the Dream Root worked. "So let's say uh, let's say this doc was testing this stuff on his patients, Tim Leary-style."

"Somebody gets pissed at him, decides to give him a little dream visit, he goes nighty-night," Dean said.

"But what about Bobby? I mean if the killer came after him, how come he's still alive?"

"I don't know," Dean answered as Sam gathered up the file and we left the room. "So how do we find our homicidal sandman?"

"Could be anyone," Sam said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Anyone who knew the doctor, had access to his dream shrooms."

"Maybe one of his test subjects or something?"

"Possible. But his research was pretty scetchy. I mean… I don't know how many subjects he had, or who all of them were." Sam laughed to himself. "What?"

"In any other case, we'd be calling Bobby and asking him for help right now."

"You know what? You're right," Dean said stopping in the hallway.

"What?" I asked.

"Let's go talk to him."

"Sure," Sam answered confused. "I think we might find the conversation a bit one-sided."

"Not if we're tripping on some Dream Root."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"You wanna go dream walking inside Bobby's head?"

"No. Definitely not," I said quickly.

"Why not? Maybe we could help."

"Bobby would kill us."

"She's right. We have no idea what's crawling around in there."

"Well how bad could it be?"

"Bad," Sam and I said together.

"Guys, it's Bobby."

"Yeah, you're right," Sam finally said. I still didn't agree. "One problem though. We're fresh out of African Dream Root, so unless you know someone who can get some…"

"Crap," Dean said realizing something.

"What?"

"Bela."

"Bela? Crap," Sam said as we all realized she was our only option. "You're actually suggesting we ask her a favor?"

"Can we completely scrap this shit idea guys?" I asked.

"I'm feeling dirty just thinking about it, but it's our only option," Dean said.

We sat in the motel room trying to find another way to find Dream Root since Bela wouldn't help. I was leaned against the headboard on the computer and Dean was flipping through the file in a chair at the end of the bed. My eyes snapped from the computer to Sam when he started moaning and breathing heavily. My wide eyes met Dean's.

"Dean, make him stop," I said. Dean laughed and I slid the computer off my lap and glared at him.

"Fine. Sam," he said. "Sam. Sam!" he finally yelled and Sam jerked as he woke up. "Wake up!"

Sam sat up and wiped at his face.

"Dude, you were out. And making some serious happy noises."

Sam wouldn't turn to face us and I saw him try to fix his junk discretely. I rolled my eyes. Life living with two boys.

"Who were you dreaming about?" Dean asked.

"What? No one. Nothing," Sam said too quickly.

"C'mon, you can tell us. Angelina Jolie?"

"No."

"Brad Pitt," Dean asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"No. No! Dude, it doesn't matter," Sam said finally facing us but not standing.

"Whatever."

"Whatever."

"We called Bela," I interrupted them.

"Bela? Yeah?" Sam said awkwardly. "She- What'd she… you know, say? She.. gonna.. help us?" I stared at Sam oddly for a moment.

"Shockingly, no, which puts us back to square one," Dean answered for me. "I've been trying to decipher the doctor's notes. Unfortunately, he has worse handwriting than you do. You gonna come help us with this stuff?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just give me a sec," Sam said slowly. I sighed and rubbed my hands up and down my face tired. A knock sounded on the door and Dean stood to answer it. He peeked out before letting the door swing open.

"Bela. As I live and breath," Dean said stepping aside and letting Bela walk in.

"You called me. Remember?" she said and I rolled my eyes and looked to Sam who was staring at her wide eyed. I connected the dots and figured out what his dream was about. A smile fought it's way across my face as I held in my laughter at his awkward position.

"I remember you turning me down," Dean was saying to Bela.

"Well, I'm just full of surprises." Bela gave me a smile and then turned to Sam who gave her a stiff awkward wave.

"Hey, Bela. What's going on?"

"I brought you your African Dream Root," Bela said ignoring him and handing a jar to Dean. "Nasty stuff, and not easy to come by."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Dean asked while Bela made herself comfortable and took off her coat.

"What? I can't do you a little favor every now and again?" she said.

"No. You can't. Come on, I wanna know what the strings are before you attach them."

"You said this was for Bobby Singer, right?" Dean nodded. "Well, I'm doing it for him. Not you."

"Bobby? Why?" I asked.

"He saved my life once," she answered me. "In Flagstaff." Dean and I shared a look. "I screwed up and he saved me, okay? You satisfied?"

"Maybe," Dean said.

"So when do we go on this little magical mystery tour?"

"Oh, you're not going anywhere. I don't trust you enough to let you in my car, much less Bobby's head," Dean said placing the jar of Dream Root in the safe. "No offense." He shut the safe and spun the lock.

"None taken," Bela said. "It's two am. Where am I supposed to go?"

"Get a room. Ah, they got the Magic Fingers, a little Casa Erotica on pay-per-view. You'll love it."

"You.." Bela hissed and grabbed her stuff and left the room.

"Nice to see-.. seeing you-" Sam said jumping up. "Bela." He smiled but she slammed he door behind her ignoring him. I burst into laughter sliding down the headboard to my back kicking my feet in the air.

Dean looked confused from me to Sam then to where Bela had disappeared before he got it. He gave Sam a big teasing grin and Sam's smile dropped and he sat back down in the chair uncomfortable.

Later Sam had two mugs of the Dream Root mixed and he walked them over to where Dean sat on the foot of one of the beds next to me. Sam took a seat on the other bed and handed one of the mugs to Dean.

"Why can't I go?" I complained.

"You gotta sit here and make sure we don't have a weird reaction. And that Bela doesn't break in while we're on the other side and steal our shit and draw mustaches on our faces," Dean explained.

"Not fair," I mumbled.

"Uh, should we dim the lights and synch up Wizard of Oz to Dark Side of the Moon?"

"Why?" Sam asked confused.

"What did you do during college?" Dean said disappointed. Dean brought the mug up to his mouth but Sam stopped him.

"We can't forget this," Sam said pulling out a little envelope from his shirt pocket. He opened it and pulled something out and dropped it into Dean's hand.

"What the hell is that?" Dean asked.

"Bobby's hair."

"We have to drink Bobby's hair?"

"On second thought, I'm fine here," I said snarling.

"That's how you control whose dream your entering. You gotta… drink some of their uh.. some of their body."

"Well, guess the hair of the dog is better than other parts of the body," Dean said dumping the hair into his mug. Sam did the same. "Bottoms up."

"Yeah."

The boys clinked their mugs together and tipped them back gulping down the vile drink. As soon as all the liquid was down the boys swayed and their eyes slid shut. Dean fell back on the bed like a brick but Sam swayed forward. I barely got to him in time to keep him from falling forwards instead of back. I grunted with effort as I pushed his large body backwards onto the bed. I worriedly checked their pulses but they were fine.

"I guess it worked then."

I drug a chair over and sat it at the end of the beds so I could keep an eye on them. It was terribly boring and slightly creepy watching them sleep. They never even moved except that Sam twitched a little once. I nearly let out a scream when they both jerked awake at the same time.

"Did you find him?" I asked as they caught their breath.

"Yeah. Let's get to the hospital," Dean said standing and pulling on his jacket. Sam did the same and gathered up the files to bring to Bobby.

We stopped by to check on Bobby and then Sam and I went to find the patient that Sam had met in the dream. He was gone when we got to his dorm though so we returned to the hospital.

"So, uh, stoner boy wasn't in his dorm," Sam said as we entered Bobby's room. "My guess is he's long gone by now."

"He ain't much of a stoner," Bobby said picking up a picture of the guy. "His name's Jeremy Frost. Full-on genius. Hundred-and-sixty IQ. Which is saying something, considering his dad took a baseball bat to his head." I winced and Bobby picked up another paper to hand to Sam. "Here's father of the year. He died before Jeremey was 10."

"Looks like a real sweetheart," Sam said handing the paper back to Bobby.

"Injury gave him Charcot-Wilbrand. He hasn't dreamt since."

"Till he started dosing the dream drug," Dean said.

"Yep."

"How'd he know how to dig up your worst nightmare and throw it at you?"

"Hey, he was rooting around in my skill. God knows what he saw in there."

"How'd he get in there in the first place?" I asked.

"Yeah. Isn't he supposed to have some of your hair, your DNA, or something?" Sam added.

"Yeah. Before I knew it was him he offered me a beer. I drank it. Dumbest frigging thing," Bobby said. I nodded.

"Oh, I don't know. It wasn't that dumb," Dean said with a nervous laugh.

"Dean, you didn't," Sam said.

"I was thirsty." I groaned throwing my head back.

"That's great. Now he can come after either one of you," Sam said angrily.

"Well, now we just have to find him first."

"We better work fast," Bobby said. "And coffee up. Because the one thing we cannot do- is fall asleep."

Two Days Later

Dean's POV

I'd been awake for something like three days. I couldn't keep up anymore. Everything blurred together and my diet consisted of mostly coffee. I was driving down the road with Sam after another failed attempt at finding this Jeremy guy. Red and Bobby were back at the motel with Bela trying to find out anything with a talking board.

"I mean, this Jeremy guy's not a friggin ghost. Where the hell could he be?" I ranted to Sam.

"Dean, you sure you don't want me to drive? You seem a little…" I snapped my head over to him glaring. "caffeinated."

"Well, thanks for the news flash, Edison!" I said before my phone started ringing and i struggled to fish it out of my pocket. It was Bobby. "Tell me you got something!"

"Strip club was a bust, huh?" Bobby said on the other side.

"Yeah."

"That was our last lead."

"What the hell, Bobby!"

"Don't yell at me, boy. I'm working my ass off here," Bobby scolded.

"Sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just… I'm-I'm-I'm tired."

"Well, who ain't?"

"What's Bela got?"

"What do you got, Bela?" I heard Bobby ask. "She's got nothing."

"Great! Well, I'm just gonna go blow my brains out now!" I said slamming the phone shut and throwing it down.

I jerked the car off the road and down a dirt path. I parked it in the trees and shut it off. Sam was staring at me confused.

"That's it. I'm done," I said reclining and getting comfortable to sleep.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"Taking myself a long-overdue nap."

"What? Dean, Jeremy can come find you."

"That's the idea."

"Excuse me?"

"Come on man, we can't find him, so let him come to me."

"On his own turf? Where he's basically a god?"

"I can handle it."

"Not alone, you can't," Sam said and I felt him rip out a few strands of my hair. I jerked up and rubbed the spot on my head looking at Sam confused.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Comin' in with you."

"No, you're not."

"Why not? At least then it'll be two against one." I thought about Sam rooting around in my head and I was definitely not okay with that. There were some things I didn't want him to know.

"Cause I don't want you digging around in my head."

"Too bad," Sam said digging out the stuff for the Dream Root. I would just have to be extra careful and control my dream. I sighed and laid my head back on the seat going to sleep.

"Dean," Sam said hitting my arm and waking me up.

"For the love of God," I mumbled looking around. "What are we still doing here?"

"I have no idea." We heard something outside and stilled. "There's someone out there."

We got out of the car and I followed the sound of music around a line of bushes. On the other side sitting on the ground was Robin. Her hair was a mess of curls and she was wearing torn jeans and one of my old flannel shirts over a tank top. Her feet were bare and she was grinning at me from her spot on the old blanket with a beer in her hand. A radio sat next to her with the box of my cassettes and off to the side were our weapons discarded and ignored.

"Come on, Dean. I'm not waiting all night," she said and slipped the flannel off winking.

I heard Sam walking up behind me and shook my head trying to make her disappear before Sam saw. When I opened my eyes back up it wasn't Red anymore. It was Lisa and the scene was completely different. She was in a yellow sun dress on a checkered sheet with picnic essentials and red wine. The farthest thing I could think of from Red.

I looked over my shoulder at Sam. He was looking at me confused.

"I've never had this dream before," I told him truthfully. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Sorry," Sam said.

"Dean," Lisa said but it wasn't Lisa's voice. It was Robin's. "I love you." My eyes widened and Sam shifted again but I refused to look at him.

The image disappeared in front of us and Sam and I both turned looking around for the cause. Jeremy stepped out from behind a tree and we started after him. We ran into the woods and I lost Sam. I ended up in an odd camouflaged hallway.

"Okay," I said to myself looking down the hall with doors on each side. Like a motel hallway.

I walked slowly down the hallway and when I neared the door at the end it opened by itself. I paused as it swung open to reveal the motel room we'd been at. I walked in the dark room and sitting at the desk across from the door was a figure flipping the desk lamp on and off.

"Jeremy?" I asked but when the figure turned it's head my eyes widened when I realized it was me.

"Hey, Dean," he said standing to face me.

"Well, aren't you a handsome son of a gun."

"We need to talk."

"I get it. I get it," I said nodding as we circled each other. "I'm my own worst nightmare, it that it? Huh? Kind of like the Superman III junkyard scene? A little mano y mano with myself?"

"Joke all you want, smart-ass. But you can't lie to me. I know the truth." We both stopped facing now facing each other. "I know how dead you are inside. How worthless you feel. I know how you look into a mirror.. and hate what you see."

I had to get ahold of myself. This was my dream. I couldn't let myself mess with me like this.

"Sorry, pal," I said smiling. "It's not gonna work. You're not real."

"Sure I am. I'm you."

"I don't think so. Cause see, this is my siesta. Not yours." I raised my hand up. "All I gotta do is snap my fingers and you go bye-bye." I snapped and my smile fell when my double didn't disappear. I snapped again. Nothing. I continued snapping but the dream me just stood watching amused.

"I'm not going anywhere. Neither are you," he said and the door slammed shut behind him. Great. Stuck in a room with myself. This was way more terrifying than I ever imagined. "Like I said… we need to talk. I mean, you're going to hell and you won't even lift a finger to stop it. Talk about low self-esteem. Then again, I guess it's not much of a life worth saving now is it?"

"Wake up, Dean," I mumbled to myself as we circled each other again. "Come on, wake up."

"I mean, after all, you've got nothing outside of Sam. You think Red, gives a shit about you? She could leave in a heartbeat. She will after you're dead. You'll be replaced at the snap of her fingers. She said it herself."

I snarled and shook my head trying to ignore what he was saying to me. And what I knew was true.

"You are nothing," he continued. "You're as mindless and obedient as an attack dog."

"That- That's not true," I said giving him a smile like it wasn't bothering me.

"No? What are the things you want? What are the things that you dream? I mean, your car? That's Dad's. Your favorite leather jacket? Dad's. Your music? Dad's. Do you even have an original thought?" I scoffed shaking my head at him. "No. No, all there is is, 'watch our for Sammy. Look out for your little brother boy!' You can still hear your Dad's voice in your head, can't you? Clear as a bell."

"Just shut up," I gritted out smiling.

"I mean, think about it… all he ever did is train you, boss you around," he walked closer to me and my smile fell. "But, Sam… Sam he doted on. Sam, he loved."

"I mean it. I'm getting angry," I warned.

"Dad knew who you really were. A good soldier and nothing else. Daddy's blunt little instrument. You own father didn't care whether you lived or died. Why should you?"

"Son of a bitch!" I yelled finally having enough. I pushed my dream self backwards grabbing the shotgun he held and shoved him into the wall. "My father was an obsessed bastard!"

My opposite tried to get up but I knocked him back down and swung the gun across his head and pinned him to the wall.

"All that crap he dumped on me, about protecting Sam! That was his crap! He's the one who couldn't protect his family! He-" I stepped back and hit him two more times letting the anger take over. "He's the one who let Mom die! Who wasn't there for Sam. I always was! He wasn't fair! I didn't deserve what he put on me. And I don't deserve to go to Hell!"

I stepped back and shot my dream self twice in the chest with the gun I held. The other me didn't move. I stepped forward but his eyes snapped open and they were completely black. My eyes widened at the realization of what that meant. He sat up and stared at me and hard and angry.

"You can't escape me, Dean," he hissed, "You're gonna die. And this? This is what you're gonna become!" I stared back at him in shock as he stood. When he was full height with me he paused and then disappeared.

I jerked awake in the Impala and turned to see that Sam had just woken up too.

Red's POV

When the boys returned I felt immensely relieved. That meant our sleeping patterns could return to their abnormal ways and I could get away from Bela.

After a long nights sleep and a long hot shower I was back to 100%.

I walked out of the bathroom and Dean sat on the bed flipping through TV channels. Sam was gone.

"Where'd Sam go?"

"Out," Dean answered as I brushed out my wet hair. I paused at the familiarity of this and my eyes widened. "Red? You okay?"

I turned to Dean and stared back at Dean's green eyes. My breathing was heavy I'm sure the color was gone from my face. Dean looked back at me confused.

"Robin?" he asked standing and walking to me. "What's wrong?"

"Dean, I'm not dreaming am I?"

"What? No. That's over. This is real."

"Okay. Yeah. Sorry. It's just this is a lot like a- a nightmare," I trailed off.

"The one you had a few nights ago?" Dean asked remembering.

"Yeah. It's not a big deal. Sam getting food? I'm starving."

"Yeah. Him and Bobby went for breakfast. Look, Red, you know I'm not one for deep talks but if you need to talk about this-"

"Nope. I told you. It's not a big deal."

"Really? Cause I just had some nut job hopping around in my dreams and it was kind of a big deal to me."

"What did he make you see?" I asked.

"I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours," he said grinning. I didn't return the smile and mulled the deal over.

"Fine. You first."

"Oh, no. Besides, I bet mine is way worse."

"I don't know about that," I said taking a seat at the table with him.

"Out with it."

"It was about you." Dean's smile slipped.

"And?"

"You were a demon."

"Oh. Yeah, that sucks."

"Yeah. You were an ass."

"That's expected."

"Your turn."

"That's all you're gonna tell me? Was I burning down cities? Eating puppies?" he asked. The dream flashed through my mind. Images of him holding me against the counter.

"Something like that," I answered. "Your turn."

"Fine. Kind of the same, actually. I got stuck in a room with myself."

"Demon Dean?" I asked. Dean was silent for a beat.

"Yeah. Hey, did you know about Bobby's wife?" Dean asked changing the subject. I didn't urge him to go on about the dream since I didn't tell him anymore about mine.

"Yeah. It's hard to keep those things secret when you live in the house she was killed in for a few years."

"I never knew."

"It's not his favorite subject."

"I can't imagine," Dean said staring at me before he blinked and snapped himself out of his thoughts. "Come on. Let's find Bela. Thank her so we don't owe her anything,"

We knocked on Bela's door but there was no answer. Dean tried calling her but she never picked up. We returned to our room and he kept trying. Now it was suspicious. Bobby and Sam returned.

"Hey, you guys seen Bela?" Dean asked them.

"She's not in her room," I said.

"Not answering her phone."

"She must've taken off or something," Sam said.

"Just like that? It's a little weird."

"Yeah well," Bobby spoke, "if you ask me what's weird is why she helped us in the first place."

"I though you saved her life," Dean said.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"The thing in Flagstaff."

"That thing in Flagstaff was an amulet. I gave her a good deal, that's all."

"Well, then why did-" Sam started.

"You boys better check your pockets." I groaned glancing at the safe in the closet. Both the boys felt around in their pockets.

"Not literally," I said sighed. Dean stopped and looked up at me then to where I was looking towards the safe. He walked over to it and swung the small door open to reveal it was empty.

"The Colt," Sam spat. "Bela stole the Colt."

"Damn it, boys!" Bobby snapped.

"Pack your crap," Dean said throwing things into his bag.

"Why? Where are we going?" Sam asked.

"We're gonna go hunt the bitch down."

I slung my bag into the trunk but Dean picked it back up and handed it to me.

"Whoa," he said. "Listen, Red, I know you're not gonna agree but please do me a favor and go with Bobby."

"What? Why the hell would I do that?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because he just had to relive killing his wife a few days ago and now he's gotta go back to their home. Just for a few weeks. I promise we'll come pick you up pronto."

"Two weeks tops," I said taking my bag from him.

"Deal," he said with a grin. He pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head. "See you in two weeks."

"Be careful, Winchester."


	22. Navajo Ghost Sickness

First, I wanna say I literally googled my facts on this sickness and I know nothing about anything medical or about the Navajo indians. If you happen to be an expert on either and I wrote something stupid, I apologize and ignore it.

Also, it's pretty jumpy for cause Robin isn't exactly in her right mind during this chapter. I was going to do some from Deans POV but decided against it.

Lastly, the italics at the end are supposed to be from Chuck. From the books he's writing. If it's in italics like that and it's not a flashback or a thought it's probably Chuck stuff I wrote.

I'll shut up now and I don't own Supernatural.

* * *

Sam and Dean were a day late on the two week deadline to pick me up from Bobby's. I couldn't blame them too much. They had been arrested and barely escaped getting blown to bits. And Sam had called me freaking out about something to do with Tuesdays but I just handed the phone to Bobby on that one.

The Impala pulled up outside and I already had my bag packed. I picked it up off my bed and stomped down the stairs.

"Whao! Slow down," Bobby said. "Acting like you did when you were a kid and they'd show up. You really that ready to be away from me?"

"You know that's not true, Bobby," I said hugging him.

"I know. You should spend all the time you can with him." I froze before slowly backing out of the hug. "I'm sorry. Shouldn't have said that." I'd had a few more dreams about Dean and Bobby knew since I probably woke him up with my screams a few times.

"It's fine," I said shrugging it off with a smile. "Your fridge is stocked and your clothes are clean so you should be good for a few weeks."

"How did I survive without you?"

"Probably very nasty and unhealthy."

"Come on, Red," Sam said coming up the porch steps. "Dean say's we're on a deadline." I opened up the front door before he could. "Something about leap year."

I was sitting in a basement sandwiched between Sam and Dean watching one of our hunts on a computer screen. The members of the Ghostfacers stood behind us watching our reactions. They'd taped the entire endeavor like one of those bad TV shows and planned to become famous from it.

I had to admit it was kind of cool to see ourselves in action from the comfort of a few desk chairs. Though I did find myself gripping at the seat of the chair during the tense parts even though I knew how it ended. Actually, I was nervous through a lot of the show which was odd.

"So, guys, what do you think? Are you alright?" Ed asked us when it was over.

"You know, I kind of think it was half-awesome," Dean said grinning at me and Sam. I narrowed my eyes and grinned back evilly.

"Half-awesome? That-that's full on good, right?" Maggie squealed while Sam and Dean exchanged a look across me.

"Yeah, um, I mean it's bizarre how you all are able to honor Corbett's memory while grossly exploiting the manner of his death." Sam said. "Well done." Dean messed with something in the bag at his feet while Sam spoke.

"Yeah. It's a real tight rope you guys are walking there," Dean said and we stood.

"Yeah, all right guys," Sam said as we walked to the door.

"Nah, that's reality, man," Ed said stopping us. "Yeah, Corbett gave his life searching for the truth, and it's our job over here to share it with the world."

"Right. Well, um, our experience, you know what you get when you show the world the truth?" Sam asked.

"Straightjacket," Dean answered.

"Or a punch in the face," I added.

"Sometimes both."

"Right," Sam agreed.

"Oh come on, guys, don't be facer haters just because we happen to have gotten the footage of the century," Harry said.

"Oh yeah," Ed added.

"You got us there," Dean said with a smile. "Yeah, well we'll see you guys around."

"Peace out," Spruce said.

We hurried out to the Impala and stopped when we heard yelling inside the house. We exchanged triumphant smiles and ducked into the car.

"Electromagnet wiped out every tape and hard drive that they have," Dean said.

"The world just isn't ready for the Ghostfacers," Sam added.

"It's too bad. I kinda liked the show." Sam and I laughed.

"It had it's moments." Dean nodded and started the car and we sped out of the drive and down the road.

"Just glad to be away from those freaks," I said before a fit of coughs took over me. I recovered and Sam turned around to check on me.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Wrong pipe," I said shrugging it off.

"I dunno. Maybe we should invest in a camera," Dean said causing Sam and I to sigh and roll our eyes.

Dean parked us outside the diner and we got out and started inside. I slowed my walking when the conversation between the boys started to become echoey. I stopped completely when my vision dimmed. I could barely hear Dean yelling my name as I fell to the ground and passed out.

When I woke back up I was sitting in the backseat of the Impala with Dean knelt in front of me in the open door and Sam standing over him.

"Red! Jesus. Are you okay?" Dean asked worried.

"Yeah. What happened?"

"You passed out," Sam said. I groaned and tried to sit up from the seat.

"Whoa! Whoa! Take a minute," Dean said pushing me back from my shoulders. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah. I guess it was my sugar maybe? I just need to eat."

"I'll go get something," Sam said running off to the diner.

"God, no one saw did they? That's embarrassing," I said.

"Probably. You were in the middle of a parking lot. Thank God Sam caught you before you hit the pavement."

"Yeah," I said absently thinking about the head injury I could have had. _Why the hell does that bother me? I've had plenty of head injuries._

Sam and Dean insisted on taking me to a motel to rest for the rest of the day after my spill. I promised I was fine after some food but I ended up in a bed with a remote shoved in my hand anyway.

"Are you going to be okay? We can bundle up towels around you like baby bumpers if you think you'll fall off," Sam kidded.

"Fuck off," I sneered but smiled anyway. "Seriously guys, this is a waste of time."

"We don't have a hunt to be on anyway," Dean argued. "We'll stay the night here and look through the papers for one."

That night I jerked awake after another nightmare. Dean soothed me back to sleep. I didn't lay awake after the nightmares anymore since they were a regular thing now but they were getting worse. They were so realistic I wouldn't even realize I was in a dream until Dean did something awful and his eyes turned black.

The next morning I woke up to Dean shaking me awake, which was weird. Usually, I was up before Dean or he'd wake me up by dragging his dirty socks across my face. But, not today. No, he was worried, by the sound of his voice. And so was Sam.

"Red! Come on! Wake up," Dean repeated.

"Here put this on her forehead," Sam said and I felt something cold and damp on my face. It felt amazing. As a matter of fact I was burning alive. Why was it so hot in the room? I groaned and opened my eyes.

"Robin! Thank God!" Dean breathed.

"She's awake?" I heard Sam say from somewhere else in the room though I couldn't pinpoint where. I tried to talk but my mouth was dry.

"Get her some water," Dean demanded. Sam was in my view a second later with a glass of water. I gulped at it until there was no more and started into a coughing fit. Dean sat me up and my body shook violently with each cough.

"I think I'm sick," I said weakly.

"You think?" Sam said sticking the now full glass back in my hand.

"Guy's can we cut the air on? It's so hot in here."

"Robin, you've got a fever. The room isn't hot, you are," Dean said.

"Oh, gee thanks, cutie. So are you," I said and realized I might be a little delusional thanks to the fever.

"Dean, we need to take her to a hospital."

"Yeah. Help me get her up."

"I can get up," I argued and weakly pushed them away. I tried to stand but the boys caught me when my legs gave out. "Didn't say I could stay up," I mumbled.

"Alright, come on," Dean said as they all but carried me out to the car.

"Guy's I'm still in pajama's."

Apparently the boys didn't care that I was sporting a pair of flannel pajama pants and bare feet. They took me to the ER anyway. The wait wasn't long since it was pretty early.

"It's really cold in here," I said shivering as I sat on the examination table waiting for the doctor to see us. My teeth chattered together and Dean slid out of his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

"Alright," the doctor said coming in. "Let's have a look at you, Ms. Hamel." The doctor flipped through the chart of information the nurse had taken.

"I think I have a fever," I said slowly.

"You most definitely do have a fever," the doctor said as his eyebrows raised. "102 fever by the looks of it."

"What is it? The flu?" Dean asked.

"I don't think so. Um, and you are?" the doctor asked.

"Dean. Her fiancé," Dean answered. "What do you think it is then?"

"I'm not sure, yet. She needs to be admitted to the hospital and have some test run on her."

"Right," Sam said. "Okay, let's do that."

Everything was pretty much a blur and my memory of the last few hours was hazy but now I was hooked up to a bunch of machines on a hospital bed. _Usually it's one of the boys in this spot. Mostly Dean. He's always getting hurt. Silly boy. I guess that will end soon. When he goes to hell. And turns into a demon._

"Robin, calm down, it's okay," Sam said laying a hand on mine and I looked over at him and realized my breathing was a bit heavy and the machines were beeping at my quickened pulse.

"Well, it's really strange actually," the doctor said coming in the room.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"It's not any kind of virus. We can't find a reason for her to have the fever. No infections. Have either of you ever heard of a hypochondriac?"

"Yeah. What does that have to do with it?"

"Well, some people can actually make themselves believe they're sick to the point that they actually become sick."

"Are you saying this is all in her head?"

"It could be."

"She's never acted like this in her life. Hell, most of the time when she is sick she's in such denial she won't even take medicine," Dean argued.

"We can run some psychiatric test to see if that could be the cause."

"No, she's not crazy!" Dean said raising his voice.

"Can I have some ibuprofen?" I asked breaking the tension and causing everyone to look at me.

"Sir, I think maybe you should just consider it," the doctor said before leaving.

"I'm really cold."

The boys ended up taking me out of the hospital after the doctor couldn't find a way to treat me and kept insisting on psychiatric help. All this did was upset and offend Dean which is why I was now laying in a motel bed with a pile of blankets on top of me and a very tired Dean next to me.

"Where's Sam?" I asked.

"He went to get you some soup," Dean said and I got the feeling that I should have probably known that.

"Sorry," I mumbled. Sometimes I was more lucid than others. Most of the time I was really confused.

"It's not your fault. Just can't stand not knowing how to fix you."

"I know. And I'm ruining your last few months here," I said getting really sad. My bottom lip trembled as my emotions went crazy. "Just bring me to Bobby's. I can die there and you won't have to worry about me."

"Red, stop talking like that." Dean said and the sound of his voice set off another part of my fever driven madness. I couldn't breath. I tried desperately to suck in breath but it was like I was being strangled. "Robin?"

I was gasping and clawing at the confining blankets around me.

"Robin!" Dean was over me now pulling at me. He blinked and his eyes were black now. Everything around him was swirling in a horrifying black and grey mess. His voice boomed in the room and his grip seemed painfully tight.

"Sam!" I yelled. "Sam, help me!"

"Robin, please," Dean begged and his eyes were green again. The blackness behind him evaporated and the motel walls and ceiling remained.

"Dean?" I said catching my breath.

"Hey, hey, Red, it's okay. Shh. It's okay," Dean repeated as he gathered me up and held me trying to calm me down.

"Dean, you can't go!" I begged. "You can't go to hell and become that. Please don't. I love you and you can't leave me."

"I know. I'm trying to fix it, Red. I'm trying, sweetheart."

I was in a field. The sound of chanting in a tongue I didn't know repeated over and over and I could hear the sound of a fire crackling behind me. I turned and saw the painted warriors dancing around the fire with their spears and feathers, chanting the song in a haunting rhythm.

Suddenly, one of the warriors broke off and danced towards me. I stood mesmerized as he reached a hand out and touched my forehead. I felt like fire spread from the spot he'd touched down my entire body. I looked down to see burning patterns down my arms. The flaming markings spread until I was completely engulfed in fire.

I jerked up in bed but I hadn't screamed. Dean and Sam were still asleep. One on the other bed and one of the couch to give me space. My eyebrows furrowed as I thought about the dream. It was the first one I'd had in weeks that didn't involve Dean as a demon.

The longer I thought about the dream the dizzier I got. I fought against the headache before I finally fell back against the pillows limply. Passed out again.

The next morning I woke up to Sam on the computer and Dean on the phone talking to Bobby about our situation.

"He know anything?" Sam asked Dean once he'd hung up.

"No. All he said was if we didn't get her healed or to his place in two days he was coming to chop our-"

"Guys," I said interrupting Dean.

"Robin," Sam said turning to me.

"I don't think I'm medically sick," I said.

"What?" Dean asked confused.

"Or, not in a way a doctor can help."

"What are you talking about, Red?" Sam asked.

"I had a dream last night. It was weird."

"Well, you've been having a lot of weird dreams lately," Dean said.

"No. All my dreams have been about you as a demon. Until this one."

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"Indians?" I shrugged.

"Indians?" Dean repeated.

"Yeah. Native Americans. I don't know. One of them touched me and I caught on fire. I think maybe this is our kind of thing."

"Like a supernatural sickness?" Sam asked. I nodded. He turned back around and started typing something in on a search bar.

"What? You think she got some sort of ghost sniffles?" Dean asked.

"It's not unheard of Dean. Let's just consider it."

"Alright. You hungry, Red?" Dean asked not putting any stock into the theory.

"Guy's I think I've found something," Sam said a while later. "Navajo Ghost Sickness. It causes nightmares, fainting or dizziness, feeling of suffocation, fever, nightmares, anxiety and confusion and sometimes…"

"Sometimes what, Sam?" Dean asked.

"Sometimes the victims have been known to die from unknown causes. The Navajo often relate it to Ghost Sickness."

"How did I get it?" I asked from the bed.

"It's caused by disturbing the dead souls of a tribe called the Anasazi. Walking on their burial grounds or even looking at their exposed bones could cause them to infect you."

"We haven't come into contact with any Indian bones," Dean countered.

"Except at the museum," I sighed.

"What?"

"The Sea Pines Museum. When I was looking through the rooms on the camera's looking for the hand. There was an exhibit on some tribal looking stuff. Must've been it."

"Why haven't we heard of anyone else getting infected?" Dean asked.

"Apparently, the spirits can only infect you if you're preoccupied with the thought of death. Such as mourning someone close to you," Sam read before looking at Dean.

"Great," Dean sighed. "How the hell do we fix it?"

"It says Navajo religious leader's are the only one's who have been known to heal the sickness."

"Where do we find one of those?" Dean said starting to pack his bag. Sam typed some more information in the computer.

"New Mexico," Sam said.

"Come on. It'll take us a day to get there," Dean said and started packing my bag.

Dean carried me out to the car and I sat in the backseat shivering under his leather jacket and the blankets. I eventually shifted so I was laying down in the backseat and then I was asleep.

I woke up to Sam and Dean talking.

"What if this doesn't work, Dean," Sam said quietly.

"It's going to work."

"Dean, there's not a lot known about this Navajo Ghost Sickness. Apparently there's been more deaths than cures."

"I'm going to save her, Sam," Dean snapped and calmed. "I just can't lose her like this."

"I know. I can't stand it either. I'm losing you both," Sam said sadly.

"I'm sick, not dead," I said sitting up. They both turned to look at me wide eyed. "And certainly not deaf. And I'm not going to die. Not until I'm done here and I got a lot of shit to do so stop your worrying. No damn dead Indian tribe is going to make me keel over."

"You're right," Sam agreed. "It would definitely take at least three Indian tribe's to kill you."

"Damn straight," I nodded. "Now let's get me healed. I just wanna be able to remember what day it is."

We had to check in at a cabin to get in at the reservation. Dean went in to explain the situation and I sat in the car with Sam.

"Sammy, we have to save him."

"You two," Sam said shaking his head.

"What?"

"You're both so obsessed with saving one another. And that's exactly what got us all here in the first place. Dean selling his soul to save me and then you getting infected with this Ghost Sickness cause you were so worried about him."

"Well maybe you two should stop dying," I said. "Make my life a lot less stressful."

Dean opened up my car door angrily.

"They won't let us in," he said.

"What?" I asked.

"They don't even believe me."

"Dean, this is our only option," Sam said worried.

"I know. But, you said the Navajo are terrified of this sickness right?" Dean asked tossing the blankets off of me.

"Yeah?"

"Well, then I guess they oughta know what it looks like," Dean picked me up out of the car and carried me to the building. Sam jumped out of the car and followed us.

Dean marched into the building and the moment the man behind the counter saw me he jumped up and started chanting something and holding his hand out.

"Please, sir," Sam said. "We need someone to help her. Is there someone here?"

The man looked between me and Sam before nodding quickly. He turned to a small boy who stood by him terrified. He told the boy something in Navajo and the boy ran off out the back door.

"Man will greet you in town center," he said in a heavy accent. "Carry her there quickly."

"Thank you," Dean nodded at him and we left the building. Sam took a quick look at a wooden map outside the building and led the way to the center of town.

When we got there a man was already there waiting. He stood calmly dressed in beautiful traditional Navajo clothing. His wrists and fingers were decorated in silver and turquoise. He nodded to us and motioned for us to follow him. He led us to a house and we walked inside.

Inside were shelves of the same type's of things you'd find in voodoo shop or in Bobby's basement. Dean set me down on a couch in the main room.

The man gathered a bundle of grasses and tied them together and lit them so they smoldered. He placed a necklace of stones and dried flowers around my neck before waving the smoking bundle around me and chanting in a dialect similar to the one I'd heard in my dream.

I jerked forwards suddenly sitting up and gasping but the Navajo man did not seem bothered and continued with his singing.

"Robin?" Dean asked looking between me and the man.

I nodded at him letting him know I was fine. I started coughing and my skin felt like it was sun burned. I started to worry when nausea fell over me and I couldn't catch my breath.

"It hurts," I gasped.

"You're making it worse," Dean said starting towards the man but Sam stopped him.

The singing grew louder and the candles on the tables flickered. I felt like something was literally being sucked out of my body through every pore of my skin. The song stopped abruptly and I fell back on the bed feeling the fever disappear.

"Robin?" Dean asked grabbing my arm and placing a hand on my cheek to look at him.

"I-I think I'm okay."

"She is healed," the man said.

"Do you feel better?" Sam asked.

"Her fever's gone," Dean said running his hand down my face.

"Yeah. I mean, I feel perfect." I said and sat up. "It's all gone." I looked at the Navajo man with furrowed eyebrows. He smiled at me. "Thank you." He nodded and held his hand out to me. He opened it and laying in his palm was a small turquoise charm.

"To ward off Anasazi," he said. I took the charm from his hand.

"Thank you."

"How do we pay you back," Sam started.

"No, Winchester," the man said. We all looked up at him with wide eyes. "You do enough."

After we left New Mexico, Bobby demanded we come back to his house so he could make sure I was okay with his own eyes. But I was okay. The sickness was completely gone and after a long shower I felt good as new.

"Thank heavens," Bobby said releasing me from the bone crushing hug he'd given me. "You idjits! Every one of ya is always knocking on death's door for the fun of it, ain't ya?"

"I wouldn't call that fun," I said quietly.

"I've been holed up in this house worrying over your sorry ass for the better part of a week." I gave Bobby an offended look. "I need a drink. And one stronger than I can fix here. Who wants to go with me?"

"I'm with ya, Bobby," Sam said smiling.

"I am not spending one of my first evenings back in good health at a nasty bar."

"So you're going to spend it in Bobby's nasty house?" Sam said earning a scowl from Bobby.

"I'll stay with her," Dean said smiling at them.

"Suit yourselves. If we call you needing a ride you best at least have the decency to come get us," Bobby said and walked out the door. Sam gave us a smile and a shake of his head and followed him out.

"Well, just because they're out at a bar doesn't mean we can't raid Bobby's liquor cabinet," I said walking into the kitchen. "You want something?"

"Nah," Dean answered from the couch.

"Really?" I asked peeking back in at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said after a pause.

"Dean what is it?" I asked returning to the living room.

"Nothing. I just don't want to drink," he shrugged.

"Don't even try that with me," I said leaning against the door frame.

"What? What do you want me to say?"

"Uh, whatever it is that's bothering you?"

"Nothing is bothering me. I'm just happy you're okay. I couldn't stand the thought of losing you."

"Well, you didn't. And I'm still here to annoy the hell out of you." I was smiling but Dean wasn't. Instead he was staring at me intently like he was deep in thought. My smile dropped and I raised an eyebrow.

"Robin," he said and paused instead of continuing. He shook his head and looked away.

"What?" I asked.

"You said some adorable stuff in your fever induced state," Dean said smiling and stood.

"Like what?" I asked only imagining the ridiculous stuff I must've said.

"You might've professed your love for me," he said walking towards me with a sexy smirk.

"I think you misunderstood. Of course I love you and Sammy. Sure you're not hearing what you want?"

"I dunno," he said about a foot away from me. I couldn't help but remember all those dreams I'd had the past few weeks.

"Dean, stop," I demanded all playfulness leaving my face. Dean looked confused. "This is how you were in those dreams."

"The demon me?" he asked. I nodded. "It wasn't real, Robin."

"I know," I said quietly. I had realized the demon wasn't real. But I also knew all the things Dean had said to me in those dreams, before I realized he was demon, weren't real either. "I'm getting a drink."

I turned back to the kitchen and headed to cabinet where Bobby stored his liquor.

"Robin," Dean said softly. "Don't."

"What? Don't drink? That's the last thing I'd expect you to say," I said pulling out a bottle and a glass.

"Don't act like this."

"Like what?"

"Robin, I know you're scared. Hell, so am I. But if I've only got a few more weeks to live then I don't want you being scared of me."

I slammed the glass down on the counter harder than I had intended.

"I'm not scared of _you_, Dean," I said staring at the counter.

"Then what's the problem?" I whirled around to face him.

"Dean!" I started but didn't know where to go from there so instead I shoved him back and let out a frustrated growl. "Can't you just have a damn drink with me?" Dean grabbed my arms and held me still.

"We're not having a drink, Robin," he growled back angrily but I could tell by the hold he had on my wrists that he wasn't going to hurt me.

"Fine," I snapped.

"Fine," he hissed back. We stood inches apart glaring at each other.

Suddenly, Dean pulled me to him and slammed his mouth to mine. It was nothing like my mind had come up with in those dreams. Dean wrapped a hand around the back of my neck and the other rested on my back. My hands were gripping at the front of his shirt keeping him held to me. Not that he needed the invitation.

I'd give you a fairy tale description but it probably wouldn't be appropriate considering the terms I'd use to describe the way Dean Winchester kissed. I'd have collapsed if he didn't have a tight hold on me and the noises alone we were making couldn't be rated PG-13.

"Dean!" I gasped when he left my mouth for my neck. "You're right. This is better than a drink."

I felt Dean smile against me and he picked me up and carried me towards the stairs and up to my room. Our clothes leaving a tell tale trail to the closed door.

"You two better be doing your goddamn laundry!" I heard Bobby yell in a drunken slur. My eyes popped open and stared right back at Dean's wide eyes. Bobby and Sam were home and our clothes were still… everywhere.

"Go to bed, Bobby," Sam said and we listened frozen as Bobby stomped to his bedroom and shut the door.

"I'm blaming that on you," I whispered to Dean.

"Me?" He whispered back.

"Yes! You're the one who couldn't wait twenty second to get upstairs."

"Oh, don't even act like that was all me!"

A faint knock sounded on the door.

"Guys?" Sam said. "Are you, uh… decent?"

"No!" we both said pulling the covers up higher on our naked bodies.

"Okay! Okay, I'm just leaving your clothes stacked out here. You might want to get them before Bobby wakes up sober."

"Thanks, Sam," I replied.

"White washing my brain now," he said walking off.

I looked back at Dean and started giggling. Dean chuckled and pulled me against him.

"I should probably get those," he said.

"Yeah, you should." Dean sighed and got up and walked to the door.

I smiled at his naked ass and giggled when he cracked the door and reached his hand out blindly reaching for the stack of clothes. He tossed them on the dresser and climbed back in the bed pulling me right back into his chest again. I smiled content and the last thing I saw before falling asleep was the scar from a bullet wound I'd sewn up over a year ago.

_When the other women saw Dean they saw his scars. They'd run their fingers over them and kiss them like they were the first to coin this idea. They wanted to know the stories and make everything better for the hunter. They'd lay their hand on his chest and feel his heartbeat, but Robin had laid her hand on that chest and felt it stop._

_When Robin saw Dean she saw the man she'd known all her life. She'd seen each and everyone of those scars a hundred times and was even there when he received most of them. She knew the stories. She knew a few kisses couldn't heal what he'd been through. Because she'd been through much of the same. She didn't notice the scars anymore because her own body had a collection of it's own. She didn't see him as a mysterious hunter. She saw him as one of her best friends and someone like her. _

_And maybe that's why they were perfect for each other._

"I had the weirdest dream last night," Bobby said sitting at the table eating breakfast the next morning.

"Yeah? Clowns or midgets?" Dean asked.

"Well…" Bobby started and looked between me and Dean who were acting perfectly normal. "Nothing. It was just… weird."


	23. No Rest for the Wicked

I hope you all survived that finale last night. I haven't decided I have or not.

I don't own Supernatural. If I did Dean and Sammy would be happy! Not like this! Never like this! Cruel world!

* * *

Time was nearly up. Fun and games was over and now we were all skipping meals and running on no sleep to find a way to save Dean.

We had just over a day. My vision was blurring from reading books for so long. I rubbed my eyes roughly and looked up to see Dean had fallen asleep with his head on the book he'd been sifting through. I smiled and stood quietly so I wouldn't disturb him. I know sleep was hard for him to come by now. It was hard for any of us to sleep but Dean especially.

The last few nights we'd stayed in a motel he'd tossed around in bed and usually ended up getting up completely. I hadn't gotten much sleep either for worrying about him.

"He alright?" Sam asked when I entered the room where he was.

"Sleeping. I figured I'd let him. He hasn't gotten much in the past few weeks. Where's Bobby?"

"Library maybe. I don't really know." Sam was tired too. He rubbed his temples and let out a heavy sigh. "We're running out of time."

"We'll figure it out," I assured sitting next to him.

"You remember that time we built that fort behind your old house?"

"Yeah," I said with a laugh.

"Out of a refrigerator box and garbage can lids."

"And we wouldn't let Dean in cause he was too old."

"He thought it was dumb anyway," Sam said looking down and smiling.

"He thought it was awesome and we all know it. He was just insanely jealous."

"I think you were probably still mad at him because you had cut your arm on a rusty rake and had to get a tetanus shot. Dean told you they were taking you to the doctor to have it cut off. And you believed him." Sam was trying to contain his laughter now.

"I was six. Of course I believed him."

"You were bawling."

"So were you!" I accused.

"I was not."

"Yes you were. You were begging Dean to call your dad so he could come fix it."

"Maybe I was," Sam nodded.

I was so thankful for Sam. In such a horrible time like right now he still managed to make me smile. I looked over to the room where Dean slept and thought about those silly adventures we had as kids. It seemed like such a big deal when you weren't allowed in someones secret fort. Now I'd give anything for that to be the biggest worry in my life.

"I think I've got something," Bobby said carrying a tripod looking contraption. "All I need is a name and this baby will sniff her out for us."

"Bobby, you're a genius," Sam said standing and going to wake Dean.

"Do you think it'll really work?" I asked.

"It's worth a shot."

"So, explain this to us, Bobby," Sam said reentering the room with Dean. I stood and helped Bobby set up a map and the contraption he had.

"So you need a name, that's the whole kit and caboodle. With the right name, right ritual, ain't nothing you can't suss out."

"Like the town Lilith's in?" Sam asked.

"Kid, when I get done, we'll know the street."

Bobby started the ritual and swung the pendulum on the tripod. The pendulum swung over the map a few times before it stopped.

"New Harmony, Indiana," Bobby read. "And we have winner."

"Alright," Sam said and pushed the pendulum back down. "Let's go."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on. Let's all shut up there, Tex," Dean said stopping us from leaving.

"What's the problem?"

"What's the problem? Come on, where do I begin? I mean, first of all, we don't even know if Lilith holds my deal. We're going off of Bela's intel?" Dean said and his voice was rough from the lack of sleep and stress from the past few days. "Now when that bitch breathes, the air comes out crooked. Okay. Second, even if we could get to Lilith, we have no way to bank her. And third, isn't this the same Lilith that wants your giant head on a pike? Should I continue?"

"Ain't you bringing down the room," Bobby said.

"Yeah, well, it's a gift," Dean scoffed. I placed my head in my hands feeling a headache coming on.

"I'm sorry," Sam argued, "so then what are we supposed to do, Dean?"

"Just cause I gotta die doesn't mean you have to, okay. Either we go in smart or we don't go in at all."

"Okay, fine. If that's the case I have the answer."

"You do?"

"Yeah. A sure fire way to confirm it's Lilith and a way to get us a bona fide demon killing ginsu."

"Damn it, Sam no," Dean said and turned to leave.

"We're so past arguing. Dean, I am summoning Ruby."

"The hell you are!" Dean yelled in his raspy voice. "We have enough problems as it is.

"Exactly," Sam said walking up to his brother. "And we've got no time and no choice either."

"Come on man, she is the Miss Universe of lying skanks, okay. She told you that she could save me, huh -lie. She seems to know everything about Lilith but forgot to mention, oh right- Lilith owns my soul!" Dean snapped at Sam.

"Okay, fine. She's a liar. She's still got that knife."

"Dean," Bobby tried.

"For all we know, she works for Lilith," Dean ignored Bobby.

"Then give me another option, Dean. I mean, tell me what else."

"Sam's right," Bobby spoke again.

"NO! DAMN IT!" Dean finally yelled. We all shut up. Dean sighed obviously tired. "Just no. We are not gonna make the same mistakes all over again. You guys wanna save me, find something else." Dean walked off into the other room and slumped onto the couch. Bobby shrugged on his jacket and grabbed his books from the table.

"Where are you going, Bobby?" Sam asked defeated.

"I guess to… find something else," Bobby said and left. I stood in my spot against the table for a moment longer before straightening and walking to Sam. I squeezed his hand but didn't say anything since there was nothing to say.

"I'm gonna get some air," Sam muttered and left the building. I turned back to Dean who sat with his head in his hands on the couch.

"Why don't you lay down and get some rest?" I asked him.

"What's the point? I'm sure I'll get my share of rest in thirty hours," Dean spat without raising his head. He took a breath and looked up at me. "I'm sorry. Come here." I took a seat next to him on the couch and ran my hand up and down his back.

"You know I don't trust Ruby either," I said.

"Yeah. I'm sure we'll see her before this is all over anyway."

"What makes you say that?" Dean didn't say anything as he thought.

"Would you do me favor?" he said with a small grin.

"Uh, no."

"Not that. I need a trap painted for Ruby."

"What?"

I had finished spray painting the devil's trap in the basement of the house we were in. Dean had been distracting Sam while I painted it and we both knew Sam was going to summon Ruby whether Dean liked it or not. I walked back up the steps and Sam met me.

"Red," he said quietly. "Will you do me a favor?" I nearly rolled my eyes.

"Of course," I answered.

"Will you watch Dean for me?"

"What are you going to do?" I asked suspiciously though I already knew what he was going to do.

"You and I both know Ruby is our best bet here."

"Fine," I said not arguing and left Sam to find Dean.

"You get it?" Dean asked as soon as I found him.

"Yeah. Sam's down there summoning her right now so you might wanna get a move on."

"Thanks," Dean said giving me a quick peck and heading to the stairs. I sighed and sat back down on the couch. I only sat there for a moment before I decided I'd probably be needed in the basement.

I arrived in time to see Dean punch Ruby across the face. She wiped the blood from her mouth and kicked both Sam and Dean away her. I ran in and elbowed her in the nose which only slowed her down for a second before she took a swing at me. I ducked out of the way punching her in the stomach to push her towards the trap but she knocked me in the jaw with a solid punch and I stumbled back.

Luckily, Dean had recovered and took over the beatings leading her slowly under the devils trap I'd painted. I walked towards Sam and helped him up rubbing at my jaw. Ruby knocked Dean to the ground and he rolled onto his hands and knees and smiled up at her.

"The hell are you grinning at?" Ruby hissed.

"Missing something?" Dean asked and pulled her knife up for her to see.

"I'll kill you, you son of a bitch."

Ruby rushed towards Dean but was thrown back when she reached the edge of the trap. She looked around confused and then to Dean who looked up smiling at the trap painted on the ceiling. Ruby looked up at the trap and then back to Dean glaring.

"Like I said, I knew you'd come," Dean said and started towards the stairs.

"Wait!" Ruby tried. "You're just gonna leave me here?"

"Let's go, guys," Dean said to me and Sam. We walked to the stairs to join Dean and I looked back at Ruby who stood furious. We turned and walked up the steps.

"Oh, oh you- so you're just too stupid to live, is that it? Then fine! You deserve hell! I wish I could be there, Dean. I wish I could smell the flesh sizzle off your bones! I WISH I COULD BE THERE TO HEAR YOU SCREAM!"

"And I wish you'd shut your pie hole, but we don't always get what we want," Dean said back as we reached the top and left her behind.

Sam mumbled something about getting weapons from the car and I forced Dean onto the couch so I could survey the damage done. I stood between his legs and wiped the blood from his lip and eyebrow. We could hear Ruby yell from the basement but it was just a muffled noise by the time it reached us.

"So the plan is to walk up and stab Lilith?" I said.

Dean didn't answer and looked up at me. His eyes widened as if he were terrified of something and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. He shook his head snapping himself out of it. He pulled me closer and laid his hands on my hips and rested his forehead to my stomach. I ran my fingers through his hair regretting having even brought it up.

"Earlier me and Sam were talking about the time you said I was going to get my arm cut off. Cause I had to get a tetanus shot?" I said smiling and trying to change the subject.

"You need to stay here," Dean said without looking up. My smile fell and I grabbed Deans hands pulling them off of me. I knelt in front of him so we were eye level.

"The day I stay behind is the day I'm dead, Dean Winchester," I said sternly. "Don't even think about trying to make me stay."

The door opened and Sam walked in. Dean held my gaze for a moment longer and nodded. I stood and pulled him to his feet and we both joined Sam to clean and load the guns.

I had my gun apart cleaning the pieces at the table with the boys. Sam and Dean loaded their own weapons silently.

"We're just gonna let Ruby rot down there?" Sam asked breaking the silence.

"That's the idea," Dean answered. I nodded at Sam agreeing with Dean.

"Dean, what if, uh… What if Ruby's right? What if I can take out Lilith?" Dean glanced up at Sam with a scowl. "Quit looking at me like that."

"What, are you gonna give her the Carrie-stare and Lilith goes poof?"

"I don't know what Ruby mean. You know, maybe we should just go ask her."

"Yes, because she's been so straight forward on all her answers so far," I said putting the gun back together.

"Sam," Dean started, "you wanted the knife. I got you the knife."

"Dean, just listen to me for a second. Last time Lilith snapped her fingers and put thirty demons on our ass, and all we got's one little knife? I mean, like you said, we go in smart or we don't go in at all."

"Well, this ain't smart."

"We got one shot at this, Dean. Just one. So if there's a sure-fire way then maybe we should just talk about it."

"I'm going to call and check on Bobby," I said standing and leaving the room to grab my phone. I could tell this was going to be a conversation where I wasn't needed. On the way out the door I heard a piece of the conversation.

"Why even risk it?" I heard Dean ask.

"Because you're my brother. Because you did the same thing for me."

"I know," Dean said with a scoff, "and look how that turned out. And I'm saying… Sammy, all I'm saying is that you and Robin… you're my weak spot. You are. And I'm yours."

I walked out the front door and into the yard of the battered house we were at. I stood with an old truck between me and the house and scrolled through my contacts about to call Bobby but stopped. I brought my shaking hand up to my eyes and took deep steady breaths to calm myself. But, the tears slipped past anyway. I gritted my teeth until my jaw hurt and tangled my hands in my hair.

Our plan was stupid. We all knew we couldn't just waltz in and kill Lilith. But I also knew we couldn't trust Ruby. In less than thirty hours Dean would likely be dead. But I was going to do everything I could to stop that from happening even if it meant dying myself.

"Red?" I heard Bobby say behind me and I quickly wiped the tears away and straightened myself. I turned to him and gave him what I'm sure was a pitiful smile.

"Hey, Bobby. Come up with anything?"

"Robin, when's the last time you slept?"

"I'm fine, Bobby," I said shrugging it off and trying to give a more convincing smile.

"Really? Cause you don't cry often." I heard the boys walk out of the house and swiped under my eyes again.

"The boys, got something. Let's go figure out the game plan," I said and walked towards Sam and Dean who were packing the car up.

"Where do you think you're going?" Bobby asked them.

"We got the knife," Dean said.

"And you intend to use it without me?"

"This is about me," Dean started, "and Sam. Okay? This isn't your fight." This set something off in Bobby and he stepped up to Dean with a set jaw and tight fists.

"The hell it isn't!" he hissed. "Family don't end with blood, boy." We all stood silent staring at Bobby with wide eyes. Bobby calmed and stepped back. "Besides you need me."

"Bobby," Dean tried.

"You're playing wounded. Tell me, how many hallucinations have you had so far?" Sam and I looked between each other confused.

"How'd you know?" Dean asked after a beat.

"Because that's what happens when you've got hellhounds on your butt. And because I'm smart.". Hallucinations explained the terrified look Dean gave me earlier. "I'll follow," Bobby said stepping towards his car. "Robin, you're with me."

"What?" I asked as he passed me.

"You need rest and you won't get it with those two. Don't be stopping to pee every ten minutes either," Bobby called the last part over his shoulders to the boys.

I looked from Bobby to the brothers. Sam sighed and walked around to close the trunk.

"I'll see you guys in Indiana," I said. Sam gave me a quick hug.

"Don't let Bobby drive you insane," he said with a grin.

"I can handle that old man." I turned to Dean who wasn't paying much attention to us. "Dean?" He looked up at me and nodded.

"You be careful," he said but that was all.

"You too," I replied and walked to Bobby's car that was already started.

It was night and we'd been on the road a few hours. I'd gotten a nap in and felt somewhat better. My lip was still slightly puffy from the fight with Ruby and now my back hurt from the uncomfortable seats in Bobby's car.

Sam and Dean had sped off ahead of us and now we only caught a glimpse of them on long stretches of straight road. Dean had a taillight out so it was easy to keep up with them.

I could see the flashing lights ahead of us and when we came around a curve I saw it was Sam and Dean pulled over. Bobby and I pulled up in time to see Dean pull the knife from the demon possessed cop's head and let him fall to the ground.

"What the hell happened?" Bobby asked after we'd jumped from the car.

"Dean just killed a demon. How'd you know?" Sam asked his brother.

"I just knew," he said and looked down at the dead officer. "I could see its face. Its real face under that one."

"We need to hide this car," I said looking back at the flashing lights of the police car.

"We don't have time," Sam said.

"She's right," Bobby said. "We'll roll it in the woods and cover it up. Won't take long."

I drove the car off into the woods while the boys and Bobby started cutting branches to cover it with. I cut the engine and got out to be met by Dean carrying an armful of branches. I grabbed some and started covering the car with him.

"Five hours left. We could leave this to Bobby and Sam and put the backseat to use," Dean grinned.

"As soon as this is over we can put every seat you can find to use. Until then, get to work," I grinned back at him.

"So what, now you're seeing demons?" Sam asked walking up to us with Bobby.

"I've seen all kinds of things lately but… nothing like this," Dean answered, his playful mood gone.

"Actually it's not all that crazy," Bobby said.

"How's it not that crazy?"

"Well you've got, just over five hours to go? You're piercing the veil, Dean. you're glimpsing the B side."

"A little less new age-y please."

"You're almost hell's bitch," Bobby clarified. "So, you can see hell's other bitches."

"Thank you," Dean mocked.

"Well, actually it could come in pretty handy," Sam mentioned.

"Oh, well, I'm glad my doomed soul is good for something."

"Damn right it is," Bobby said. "Lilith's probably got demons stashed all over town. We can't let them sound the alarm. She knows we're here, we're dead before we're started."

"Well, this is a terrific plan. I'm excited to be a part of it," Dean said putting the last of the branches on the car. "Can we go please?"

We walked back up to the cars and Dean grabbed my hand when I went towards Bobby's car.

"We're nearly there. Why don't you ride with us now?" he asked and I could see the worry in his eyes. I nodded and got in the Impala instead.

We got into a building across the street from the house that Lilith was supposed to be 'vacationing' in. Dean pointed out the demons surrounding the house and which one was Lilith. The little girl.

"Okay," Sam started. "We ninja pass those guy, sneak in."

"Then what?" Dean asked. "Give a Columbian necktie to a ten year old girl, come on!"

"Look, Dean, I know it's awful."

"You think?"

"This isn't just about saving you, Dean. This is about saving everyone."

"She's gotta be stopped, son," Bobby added.

"Oh, damn it," Dean with a shake of his head. "Alright, here's the plan."

I stood in the backyard of one of the houses guarding Bobby while he held a rosary and spoke Latin over a pipe. The pipe held water that would spray out of the sprinkler systems. Bobby dropped the rosary down the pipe and we stood and headed to the house Lilith was in.

"Okay, go find the boys. I've got this," Bobby said. I nodded and left him to turn on the sprinkler system.

I found the boys inside the house. They'd come in the front door and I'd entered through the back. Sam held the knife up in front of him and Dean pointed his gun at me by instinct.

"Just me," I whispered raising my hands. Ruby was with them and I narrowed my eyes at her.

We heard a noise come from a closet near us and Dean slowly walked up and opened the doors. A man leapt from the shadows and Dean captured him and placed a hand over his mouth to keep him quiet.

"We're here to help, okay?" Dean whispered. "I'm gonna move my hand, and we're gonna talk nice and quiet, okay?" The man nodded quickly with wide eyes and Dean removed his hand.

"Sir, where is your daughter?" Sam asked.

"It's not… it's not her anymore," he answered terrified.

"Where is she?"

"Upstairs. In her bedroom."

"Okay. Listen to me," Dean whispered to him. "I want you to go downstairs to the basement. Put a line of salt at the door behind you. Do you understand me?"

"Not without my wife," he answered.

"Yes, without your wife."

"No." Dean was done arguing and instead punched the man knocking him unconscious and threw him over his shoulder.

Sam and Ruby headed upstairs with the knife and I ran to grab some salt from the kitchen before joining Dean. We took the man to the basement and Dean dropped him to the floor while I lined the doorway with the salt. When I finished I joined Dean who was checking the basement for windows.

"I think we're good," I said when he met me at the bottom of the stairs.

"Let's find Sam and Ruby," he said and I headed up the stairs.

We ran up to the second floor as quickly and quietly as we could and found Ruby headed towards a room on the right. She nodded towards it indicating that's where Lilith must've been and we headed in. Sam stood over the bed with the little girl and her mother in it with the knife raised. The little girl stirred and Dean rushed forward. The girl screamed and Dean grabbed Sam's hand stopping him from stabbing her.

"It's not her!" Dean said. "It's not the girl anymore."

The little girl was sobbing terrified and her mother tried to calm her.

"Okay, we need to get you someplace safe," I said stepping forward. We took the woman and little girl back down the stairs and Dean and I led them down to the basement where the husband was.

"Josh!" she said when she saw him unconscious on the floor.

"He's okay," I assured. "But, you three need to stay down here, okay?"

"Who are you?"

"Come on, Red," Dean said heading back up the stairs.

"Stay down here," I said and followed Dean up.

"To save Dean," I heard Sam say as we neared him and Ruby. "What do you need me to do?"

Dean grabbed him trying to turn him towards us and away from Ruby.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Dean demanded.

"Just shut up for a second," Sam said pulling away from his brother. "Ruby!"

"You had your chance," she answered frustrated. "You can't just flip a switch. We needed time."

"Well, there's gotta be something. There's gotta be some way, whatever it is, I'll do it." Dean grabbed Sam to pull him away again but Sam jerked away pushing Dean off. "Don't, Dean! I'm not gonna let you go to hell, Dean!"

"Yes, you are!" Dean boomed back. I froze and my heart plummeted to my stomach. "Yes, you are," Dean repeated calmer. "I'm sorry. I mean this is all my fault, I know that. But what you're doing, it's not gonna save me. It's only gonna kill you."

"Then, what am I supposed to do?" Sam asked fighting tears.

I was past tears. I was closer to being in shock. I stared at the brothers frozen to my spot. This whole time I thought we could do it. I thought we'd pull something grand off at the last second. Well, the last second was here and we had nothing.

"Keep fighting," Dean answered his brother. "Take care of my wheels. Take care of Robin. You two- you gotta take care of each other. Sam, remember what Dad taught you… okay?" Sam nodded and Dean glanced between me and Sam. "And remember what I taught you." I felt the tears let loose just before the clock chimed midnight.

Dean stared at the clock then over to me and Sam. He gave us a shaky smile.

"I'm sorry, Dean," Ruby said. "I wouldn't wish this upon my worst enemy.

We all heard Ruby but no one replied or acknowledged her. Dean moved his gaze from me and Sam to his left where he stared off at something we couldn't see.

"Dean?" I asked with a weak voice.

"Hellhound," he said simply.

"Where?" Sam asked turning towards where Dean was looking.

"There."

I heard the growl and we all bolted from the room as it chased us barking at our heels. Sam and I slammed the doors shut behind us as we went but it did nothing to slow the beast down. We ended up in the dinning room and slammed the two doors shut and leaned against them as the hound threw itself against it jarring me and Sam.

Dean grabbed a bag of goofer dust and began pouring it along the doorway. When he made a line from one end to the other the pounding on the door stopped. Dean rushed across the room and began pouring the dust of the windowsills.

"Give me the knife," Ruby said to Sam. Dean turned after the bag of dust was empty and grabbed me by the shoulders kissing me roughly.

"You keep Sam safe and get the hell out of here," he said.

"Dean," I started shaking but he was already focused on something else.

"Come on!" Ruby was saying to Sam. "That dust won't last forever."

Sam started to hand the knife to Ruby but Dean stopped him.

"Wait!" he called.

"You wanna die?" Ruby hissed.

"Sam, that's not Ruby," Dean said staring wide eyed at her. "It's not Ruby!"

I barely had time to comprehend what that meant before I was thrown into a wall and pinned there by the demon with my feet off the ground. Sam was pinned to the opposite wall as well. Dean had been flung into a table where he know struggled to free himself from her hold.

"How long you been in her?" Dean snarled.

"Not long," Lilith said and looked down at the body. "But I like it. It's all grown up and pretty." When she looked up her eyes were white.

"And where's Ruby?" Sam asked. Lilith's eyes rolled forward again.

"She was a very bad girl, so I sent her far, far away," she replied in a childish tone. I pulled against the hold and pushed against the wall trying to free myself but it was useless. "Stop trying to leave me," she said to me.

"Fuck off," I hissed.

"You're a very bad girl too," Lilith said and raised her hand towards me.

"Hey!" Dean yelled stopping her. "You know, I should have seen it before… but all you look alike to me." Her attention was taken away from me then and back to Dean. She looked offended for a moment and turned to Sam.

"Hello, Sam. I've wanted to meet you for a very long time," she said walking towards him. She grabbed his chin and kissed him. "Your lips are soft."

"Right, so you have me. Let my brother go," Sam said moving his head away from her disgusted.

"Silly goose. You wanna bargain, you have to have something that I want. You don't."

"So," Dean said from the table, "is this your big plan, huh? Drag me to hell. Kill Sam. And then what? Become queen bitch?"

"I don't have to answer to puppy chow." Lilith walked from Sam and paced in front of Dean for a moment smiling evilly at him. She stopped in front of the door.

"Don't!" I yelled.

"Sic 'em boy," Lilith said and opened the door.

"No!" I screamed as the line of dust was broken and the hound was let in. I couldn't see the hellhound but it dragged Dean from the table and tore at his legs and chest. Sam and I were both screaming and begging for Lilith to call off the beast.

Blood poured from Dean's wounds as he tried to get away and screamed in agony. My eyes were blurring from the tears and my voice was rough now from my screaming.

"Let him go! Stop it!" I screamed over and over but Lilith only smiled.

Finally, Dean stopped struggling and the hound tore through his chest as Dean stilled weak and near death.

"NO!" Sam thundered.

"Yes," Lilith said and raised her hand to Sam.

A bright white light filled the room and I had to turn my head and close my eyes but could still see nothing but the blinding white. It disappeared and I opened my yes to see Lilith staring at Sam confused. She lost her grip on me when Sam stood and I fell to the ground watching Sam and Lilith.

"Back," Lilith said with terror in her voice holding her hand out towards Sam. Sam took a step towards her. "I said, back."

Sam bent and picked up the knife on the ground. "I don't think so," he said raising it. Before he could stab her, she threw her head back and the black smoke poured from her mouth and out a vent in the ceiling.

I looked to Sam and then down at Dean who lay on the floor unmoving. I crawled over to him and looked down at his lifeless face. His beautiful green eyes now stared lifelessly ahead.

"Dean." My voice shook and I trembled as Sam kneeled down next to me. I could see his face twisted in pain as he stared down at his brother. He arched down and picked up Dean by his shoulders bringing him closer to him.

"No… No…. Dean…" Sam sobbed. I took in a shaky breath and my chest jumped with the effort. I reached over and laid a hand on Sam's back who was know crying into his dead brothers shoulder.

Memories flooded me of exactly one year ago. The roles reversed but I was still here. Mourning the loss of one of the most important people in my life. And I knew I had to do the same I had done then. No matter the amount of pain I was in I had to make sure Sam was okay. Just as I had Dean.

"Sam," I said but my voice was shaky and watery.

"Robin," he sobbed. "What do I do?"

There was that question. The question I could never have an answer for. My gaze traveled back down to Dean as the tears dripped off my chin. What did we do?


	24. Alabama

By the way guys I feel bad about posting the chapter about Dean dying and going to hell the day after the season finale about (spoilers) Dean dying and becoming a demon. (not spoilers) So here's the chapter about Robin mourning Dean and crying a lot and what she did while he was in hell to make you feel better.

I don't own Supernatural.

* * *

We buried Dean in the woods beneath the canopy of thick leaves. None of us could bring ourselves to build a pyre and send Dean off in the traditional hunters funeral. Instead we dug a six foot hole, placed Dean's body in a pine box and filled the hole with him in the bottom of it.

No one said anything the entire time we did this. Not Bobby. Not Sam. Not me. We followed through the steps automatically and emotionless.

I've never felt a worse pain than when Bobby slid the lid over the wooden box and I saw Dean's face for the last time.

Three weeks after Dean's death and I didn't feel any better. Sam was a wreck and I couldn't find anything to bring him out of it. I know he'd gone to make a deal with a demon to bring Dean back. He hadn't been the only one. I'd gone to seven different crossroads. One would turn me down and I'd go to the next, begging to trade places with Dean.

I was back at Bobby's. Sam had gone off on his own a few days ago and barely spoke to me or Bobby. I tried to contact him but he wasn't answering. A week after there was no answer I packed my bags.

"You leaving too?" Bobby asked from my doorway. I looked up from my bag and my eyes landed on the painting of the Impala above my desk.

"Not for good," I said and continued to shove things in the bag. "I just need to get away."

"Where you going?"

"I don't know yet," I said turning to talk to Bobby face to face. "I don't have the slightest clue where Sam is so I guess I'm on my own. Any suggestions?"

"Actually, I might," Bobby said pushing off the doorframe. "Come down here. Let me show you something."

I followed Bobby downstairs and he pulled a file from his desk. I set on the edge of the desk waiting for him to tell me about the hunt. He sat the file in front of me and I opened it up. There was a form on top and I glanced over it looking for a location.

"A hunt in Alabama?" I asked.

"Not a hunt," Bobby said.

"What? What is it?"

"Why don't you read the name on that."

"Rebecca Browning," I read out loud and paused. "Bobby what is this?"

"When you turned 18 I thought you might want to look for your family. I pulled some strings, asked a few favors, and got this. I've been keeping up. She still lives there. Your mother. Married now. Apparently you've got some siblings."

"Bobby," I spoke quietly staring down at the file.

"Now might be a good time. You know, to find your family." I looked up at Bobby with teary eyes.

"I'm not sure you understand, Bobby," I started. "I know where my family is. You, John, Sam, and Dean are my family. Just because we're small doesn't mean we're not adequate. I've never longed for anything more than that."

Bobby looked around avoiding my gaze as he processed this. He nodded and closed the file on the desk and picked it up and handed it to me.

"I'll always be your family, Red. But if you're asking for a place to start to get away, I think it's Alabama."

I had the trunk of an old dull Mini Bobby had given me loaded down and a map laid out in the passenger seat with my route highlighted. Bobby had apologized about not having a bigger car but I said I was just fine with the British coupe even if the seats were torn and the floorboard rusty. I needed anything that was completely opposite of a Chevy Impala.

"Hey, Sam," I said leaving another voicemail. "I was just gonna let you know I left Bobby's. I'm headed down south for a while. Alabama. I don't really know what to expect but if you need me- for anything, Sammy- please call me."

I stopped the car in Illinois. I didn't need gas, or food, or sleep. Instead I had the car parked near a tree line with nothing else for miles. I got out of the car and headed into the pines. I slowed when I saw the marker in the ground ahead of me.

I walked up to the lone cross. Short grass was starting to cover the dirt before it. I knelt down on it an reached out to touch the rough wood.

"Hey, Dean. It's been nearly a month. I wish I could give you a good report but I don't exactly have one." I took a deep breath as my eyes watered. "I don't know where Sam is, Dean. You'd be so disappointed if you knew. I told you I'd take care of him and I tried. I've tried everything.

"I know I told you I'd be okay. I told you I'd be fine without you. That'd I'd make it like I always do. But, Dean, I'm not okay. I can't stand waking up in the mornings anymore. I can't stand not seeing you everyday or hearing your voice." The tears rolled freely down my face now and I didn't try to hold them back.

"I'd give anything to trade places with you. Have you here and me there. I tried but they wouldn't let me. I guess you'd be pretty disappointed to know that too.

"I'm going to Alabama. Bobby found my real mom. My real family apparently. But, we all know that's bullshit. My real family isn't some woman with the same last name as me. My real family is nearly all gone. All I have left is Bobby, Sam who I can't find, and this damn wooden cross." My shoulders shook as I sobbed over Dean's grave.

"This is ridiculous," I scoffed wiping my eyes. "Guess it's not like you can hear me in hell." I stood and turned to head back to the car but stopped. "Goodbye, Winchester."

I sat outside the house in my car. I rechecked the address on the paper and confirmed it was the correct house. It wasn't much. A one story seventy style home. An older pickup sat in the driveway and the grass was a few days past needing cut.

I sucked in a deep breath and got out of the car and walked up the sidewalk and up the steps to the door. I knocked on the door and stood waiting a moment. I saw the curtain of a window move out of the corner of my eye but didn't look towards it. Instead I kept my gaze trained on the wreath on the door.

The door cracked open and a thin red haired woman stood on the other side looking at me curiously.

"Can I help you?" she asked. Her accent was thick and she was shorter than me by nearly a foot.

"Yes. Are you Rebecca Davis?" I asked using her married name.

"I am. Who are you?"

"My name is Robin. Robin Browning," I said and my voice shook slightly. The woman's eyes widened and narrowed back.

"I don't think I know you Miss Browning. You have me mistaken with someone else." She started to shut the door but I stopped her.

"Wait! Please, I drove all the way from South Dakota and I'm not asking for anything but a conversation."

"I have nothing to say to you. I'm sorry but you can get off my property or I'll call the cops," she said and I removed my foot from her door. I nodded and she closed the door. I sighed and started back to the car pulling my phone out to call Bobby and tell him I was coming back.

"Ma'am?" I heard a voice say behind me. I turned and saw a boy a little younger than me walking from the garage. He was wiping his greasy hands on a rag and looking at me curiously. "You said your name was Browning." I nodded. "Are you related to my mom?"

"Yeah. Kinda," I answered.

"Well, I'm sorry for her being such a bitch. She doesn't quite have the southern hospitality everyone talks about."

"You're her son?" I asked realizing I was staring at my half brother.

"Yeah. Sorry, my names James," he said reaching his stained hand out. I looked down at it and he jerked it back quickly. "Sorry bout that."

"I've seen worse I promise," I said with a smile.

"So, what'd you come to see my mom about?"

"Uh, it's kind of a long story." James stared at me like he wasn't going anywhere. "I'm kind of your half sister," I said dropping the ball with a shrug.

"What?" James asked confused. "How?"

"Your mom had me before your dad was around I guess. How old are you?"

"Twenty-one."

"Twenty-five."

"This is crazy. Where were you this whole time?"

"Everywhere," I said with a sigh.

"I can't believe this. You're my sister? I'm twenty-one years old and I never knew I had a sister?"

"Guess so."

"Wait right here. You wanted a conversation, you're gonna get one. It may not be from mom but I'm in."

James took me to a mom and pop restaurant in town and I sat across the booth from him. He ordered sweet tea for both of us and I didn't argue.

"So start from the beginning," he said.

"Uh…" I started not knowing where to start on hiding literally my entire life from this guy.

"Well, what you can remember. Did mom put you up for adoption?"

"Yeah. Except no one really adopted me. I went from foster home to foster home until I was four and I ended up with this family that I stayed with for a long time."

"Then what?"

"Then… uh… there was an accident."

"Accident?"

"When I was seventeen they were killed."

"Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-"

"No. It's fine. I'm completely over that one," I said thinking about all the loss I'd experienced since.

"Where'd you go after that? Another foster home?"

"No. Actually a… friend of the family adopted me. I moved to South Dakota and finished school there."

"That's where you've been ever since?"

"Yeah…" I said slowly.

"Cool… well, what'd you do? For a job I mean. You said you'd seen worse than my nasty hands so I'm thinking nurse?" I snorted at this. Technically I was a few times. But James didn't need to know that.

"I actually got into a business with these two brothers. They were like family to me."

"What was the business?"

"They are mechanics," I said using the usual lie I told. "I handled the paperwork."

"No way. I'm a mechanic."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Why the hell do you drive such a piece of shit car if you worked at a car shop?"

"It's new to me."

"What made you decide to come find us?" My face fell and I was thankful when our food arrived to stall the answer. "Please don't tell me I just brought up more tragedy."

"James, that's my life in a word," I said with a short laugh.

"You don't have to tell me. I should mind my own. Mama tells me that all the time."

"One of the brothers died," I said. James stilled and watched me. "The other kind of went MIA. I didn't really know what to do. So I decided to start over. Alabama doesn't seem to be working for me though."

"Aw, man, you gotta give us a chance. Don't judge the whole bunch based on my mama. She's a sour apple."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Hell, I can ask my boss at the shop if they need a receptionist or something. Get you a job. You can stick around for a while. Until you find out what you want to do."

"Thanks, James. Really. But, uh-"

"Robin, just give us a chance." I nodded slowly. I thought about the pain of having to drive back to South Dakota. Back to Bobby's house, where I had so many memories with Dean. I'd give it a month.

"What do you know about the local college?"

A week later I had a job at the car shop and summer classes in the evenings to attend. I was staying in a motel until I was cleared for an apartment I applied for. I was using my own money for the rent and my food. It was the most normal I'd ever been.

I enrolled at the college under the name Robin Hall since Robin Browning was dead and Robin Singer was known to hang out with two felons.

"Robin!" a voice said snapping me out of the thoughts as I sat in the library. I looked up and saw my new friend, Hannah Harris, sit across from me.

"Sorry. This World History test is going to kill me," I said gesturing to the book in front of me.

"Tell me about it. I'm refusing to think about it until after the weekend. Speaking of, what are you doing this weekend?"

I was silent a beat as I thought about my plans. I had a wall of research back at my motel for a hunt I had planned. The ghost of a girl who'd jumped off the roof of the campus's oldest building. Apparently there had been a few more suicides from girl with similar traits as her since. I was guessing ghost possession. I just needed the time to find her grave and dig her up to salt and burn the bones.

"Was planning to go sight see a little you know. Take some pictures of the country side for that project in photography."

"Great! I need to get that done too. We can car pool. How's Saturday morning and then that night we'll go to a couple of bars."

"Uh…"

"Oh, come on Robin!" she begged. "I thought we were friends."

"Fine," I said figuring I could find the grave on Sunday.

"Where are you living again?"

"Currently? The Lion's Den Inn," I said and Hannah raised an eyebrow. "I've applied for an apartment at Pine View. Just waiting on someone to move out."

"You know my roommate just moved out. She's going to Tennessee State next semester. You should come see the place and think about moving in. As long as you're not one of those weird people who worships satan or some crazy shit."

"Right," I said looking back down at the book. "I'll have to do that."

"Great. I'll pick you up at the motel tonight and we can head to my place. Maybe we can study for this damn test," Hannah said standing and slapping my book. I opened my mouth to protest but she was already walking off.

"Okay, then. By the way I kill monsters for a living," I mumbled to myself. "Should probably know that before I drag all my weapons across your dinning room table."

I met Hannah outside with my room door already tightly locked before she had the car in park. No way was I going to explain that one.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Yep. Let's see what you got."

"Girls night!" she sang pulling out of the parking lot. I looked over at the blonde girl. I'd never had a girls night in my life. I'd never had a female friend in my life come to think of it.

We did very little studying. Instead we drank cheerleader beer and sang karaoke and played to much 'marry, fuck, or kill.'

"Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn," Hannah slurred.

"Easy. Marry Aragorn, fuck Gimli, and kill Legolas," I said back barely buzzed off the drinks she was giving me.

"Fuck Gimli?" she said spilling her drink on her pants as she sat up abruptly. "You wouldn't fuck Orlando Bloom?"

"Hell no! John Rhys-Davies all the way. Man's a legend."

"You are so messed up."

"Maybe I am," I laughed.

"Where were you from again?" she asked.

"Kansas originally. But most recently South Dakota."

"Why the hell are you in bumfuck Alabama then?"

"It's a long story, Hannah. And you would hate to hear it."

"I bet it was a boy." I froze and she smiled. "I knew it. He break your heart? You break his?"

"I'm not really willing to talk about it yet," I said standing to throw the empty bottles away.

"Come on! Did he cheat?"

"No."

"Why won't you tell me. We're besties."

"That's grand."

"What was his name? Was it Eric? Guys named Eric are always douche bags. Or in my experience anyway. I've dated two asshole Eric's. Now I hate them all. He was an Eric wasn't he?"

"No."

"Jeffery?"

"No."

"Dakota?"

"No."

"Teeeeell meeee," she said falling backwards on the couch. "I need to know."

"Dean," I answered. Hannah sat up staring at me with big doe eyes.

"Dean? That's such a beautiful name. Was he be-a-u-tiful?"

"Gorgeous," I answered sitting back down next to her and laughing at her drunken state.

"Well, why'd the asshole do you wrong? You're gorgeous too! I'd bet you were gorgeous together!"

"Hannah, you need to call it a night."

"No! It's just getting good!"

"I'll tell you some other time. But, you need to go to bed."

"Fine. You can sleep on the couch. I don't think I can drive."

"I know you can't drive."

The next morning Hannah brought me back to the motel and was getting out of the car before I was.

"I have got to pee!" she said dancing all the way up to my door.

"Can't you wait?" I asked panicking.

"What? No. Just let me use yours."

"There's one in the gas station," I said pointing across the street while we stood outside my room.

"Oh, my god, Robin! Let me in!" Hannah said and took my keys and opened the door.

"Wait!" I said but it was too late. She'd stepped inside and was now staring at the walls covered in my research.

"What the hell?" she mumbled. "Is this for a class?"

"Uh." I would have gone with it but then she noticed the weapons on the table.

"Robin, what the hell are you?" she asked turning to look at me terrified.

"It's a… a long story," I said feeling like that had been my most used explanation these past few days.

"I'm going to pee and then we're talking about this."

I sat down with Hannah and told her basically the same story I told James except I told her what the brothers really did.

"Wait," she started realizing something. "The brother who died… Dean?"

"Yeah," I said quietly.

"Oh, gosh, Robin. You poor thing," she said grabbing me in a hug. I stiffened uncomfortably and waited until she released me. "I kind of think the whole ghost and demons thing is crazy but that is a tragic story."

"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically.

"So, all this," she said gesturing to the walls of research. "You're going to hunt the ghost in Hatch Hall?"

"Yeah. Well I've done most of the work already. I just need to find her grave, dig it up, and salt and burn her bones." Hannah stared at me for a long while.

"You are insane."

"Look, Hannah," I said standing and getting ready to bolt for it.

"But, I'm going with you," she said.

"What?"

"On your hunt. I'm coming along."

"Uh, no."

"Yes! I could be a hunter. You just have to teach me a few things."

"This is going to be bad."

Three months into my new life and things weren't bad. I was roommates with Hannah now and we hunted on the weekends. During the week I went to school and worked at the shop with James.

James and I were fixing up my car on my rare days off. It was coming along nicely. It was painted and the seats recovered. Slowly my car was being given a second chance. Kind of like me.

Working on the car reminded me a lot of Dean though. All those time's I'd watched him work on the Impala and handed him the necessary tools he needed. James still didn't know about my real past. I made Hannah swear not to tell him.

Hannah and James were a thing. Or as far as I could tell. They were still in the early stages of it but it was there. Which sometimes made it awkward for me and I wondered if Sam ever felt this way around me and Dean.

Bobby called me nearly every night for a report on how things were going. He knew I still hunted and I'd call him for advice sometimes. I still hadn't heard from Sam. I'd left him a few more messages before his phone was disconnected completely.

Every night I'd lie in bed and stare at the ceiling. This life wasn't bad. I had friends and even technically family. But, it wasn't what I wanted.

I wanted my old life. My old life of riding in the back of the Impala with Sam with Dean and John up front. Going home to Bobby at the end of the week with a new story to tell. All of that was long gone.

I'd usually end my days feeling sorry for myself and wishing for those days back. Wishing Sam would talk to me. Wishing I was in Dean's arms.

It was September 18th. Not a significant date by any means. Just an ordinary day in my life. Fall classes had started and I decided to stay for the semester. I sat in my Biology class and wrote the date at the top of my notes. The professor droned on and while I doodled around the page.

I heard my phone buzz in my backpack and chanced a look at it. Hannah and James knew I was in class and Bobby only called at night. No one else ever called me. I dug the phone out and excused myself from the class.

"Hello?" I said answering the phone.

"Red?" a voice came over the line. The nickname took me by surprise. Bobby was the only person who ever said it anymore and the voice didn't belong to Bobby. Actually, I knew who the voice belonged to but it wasn't possible.

"Who is this?" I asked tightening my grip on the phone.

"Red, it's Dean." I jerked the phone from my ear and snapped it shut. I stared back at the phone wide eyed until it lit back up with the same number. I rejected the call and realized my heart was pounding.

I went back in the classroom to grab my stuff and left. I flipped the phone open and called Bobby.

"Bobby!" I said as I rushed down the stairs and out the building. "Something just called me using Dean's voice."

"Me too," he replied.

"What are you thinking? Crocotta?" I asked remembering the hunt a few months ago when one tricked Dean into thinking it was John calling him.

"Maybe. Or just a prankster."

"I'm coming to you. I should be there by tonight."

"Now, hold on, Red. You're jumping the gun here."

"What?"

"There's no need to run off yet. Stay and go to your classes."

"Sorry, Bobby. College isn't quite my thing."


	25. Lazarus Rising

I got to Bobby's and ran inside. He met me in the front room and I smiled and hugged him. It had been three months since I'd seen Bobby.

"Any more phone calls?" I asked.

"Nope. You?"

"None. It's weird. Usually they're pretty persistent. I wonder if Sam is getting them."

"No way of knowing. Look's like we're by ourselves on this one. But you need rest. You've been on the road all day."

"Fine. I'll fix us some breakfast in the morning. Goodnight Bobby."

The next morning I was cooking breakfast in the kitchen while Bobby tried to trace the number that had called us. So far all he'd come up with was a phone booth in Illinois. There was a knock on the door and I looked up and Bobby stood to get it. I turned and continued cooking the eggs.

"Surprise," I heard a voice say from the doorway. My eyes widened and I turned to see him standing on the porch. Dean looked from Bobby to me and smiled.

"I, I don't…" Bobby started and I dropped the pan I was holding.

"Yeah, me neither," Dean said walking past Bobby and towards me. "But here I am."

Dean didn't get far before Bobby lunged towards him with a silver knife. I grabbed my gun and aimed for the newcomer but he was wrestling with Bobby.

"Bobby! It's me!" he yelled.

"My ass!" Bobby called back. Dean grabbed a chair from the table and shoved it between him and Bobby and held a hand out towards me.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait! Your name is Robert Steven Singer. You became a hunter after your wife got possessed, and.. you're about the closest thing I have to a father. Red, please, it's me."

"Dean?" My voice quivered and I lowered my gun. He relaxed and turned to me.

"It's me, Robin," he said gently walking towards me. I saw Bobby move out of the corner of my eye but Dean did too.

Dean grabbed Bobby and twisted the knife from his grasp.

"I am no a shapeshifter!" Dean said.

"Then you're a Revenant!" Bobby growled back.

"Alright. If I was either, could I do this with a silver knife?" Dean asked pulling his sleeve up and cutting across his arm. Blood ran down his arm and I looked over at Bobby wide eyed.

"Dean?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," Dean said stepping towards Bobby. Bobby grabbed Dean in a hug and I set my gun down leaning against the counter in shock.

"It's… it's good to see you, boy," Bobby said.

"Yeah, you too."

"But.. how did you bust out?"

"I don't know. I just," Dean turned to look back at me. "I just woke up in a pine box…" Dean turned back to Bobby and when he did Bobby splashed him with holy water. Dean paused stiff before spitting the water from his mouth and looking back at Bobby. "I'm not a demon either, you know."

"Sorry. Can't be too careful." Dean turned from Bobby back towards me.

He had barely taken a step towards me when I flew into his arms and held him tight. I shook and held my eyes shut to keep the tears back.

"Hey, it's okay, Red. I'm here." He held me to him and kissed the top of my head.

"Don't you ever do that again, Winchester," I said against his chest.

"I won't," he promised and a drop of water fell on my cheek and I realized he was still soaked in holy water.

"Let me get you a towel," I said pulling away. I fumbled for a towel in a drawer and handed him one. He grinned at me and winked and I nearly fell over.

"So, you just woke up?" Bobby said reminding me that he was still present.

"Yeah."

"But… that don't make a lick of sense." Bobby led us into the study.

"Yeah, you're preaching to the choir," Dean said wiping his face dry.

"Dean. Your chest was ribbons," Bobby continued. "Your insides were slop. And you've been buried four months. Even if you could slip out of hell and back into your meat suit-"

"I know, I should look like a Thriller video reject."

"What do you remember?"

"Not much. I remember I was a Hellhound's chew toy, and then… lights out. Then I come to six feet under, that was it." I sat down on the couch. "Sam's number's not working. He's, uh.. he's not…"

"Oh, he's alive. As far as I know."

"Good… wait, what do you mean, as far as you know?" Dean asked and looked between Bobby and me.

"We haven't talked to him in months," Bobby said.

"You're kidding, you just let him go off by himself?"

"He was dead set on it."

"Bobby, you should've been looking after him," Dean said and I felt the guilt rise up.

"We tried," I said taking some of the blame from Bobby.

"These last months haven't been exactly easy, you know," Bobby scolded. "For any of us. We had to bury you."

"Why did you bury me, anyway?"

"I wanted you salted and burned. Usual drill. But… Sam and Red wouldn't have it," Bobby said glancing at me.

"Well, I'm glad you won that one," Dean said to me.

"Sam said you'd need a body when he got you back home somehow," Bobby interrupted. "That's about all he said." I looked down.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked suspicious.

"He was quiet. Real quiet. And then he just took off. Wouldn't return our calls. We tried to find him, but he didn't want to be found."

"Oh, dammit, Sammy," Dean groaned bringing a hand to his forehead.

"What?"

"Oh, he got me home okay. But whatever he did, it was bad mojo."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You should have seen the grave site. It was like a nuke went off. And then there was this… this force, this presence, I don't know, but it, it blew past me at a fill-up joint. And then this," Dean said pulling his jacket off and his sleeve up revealing a hand print burned into his upper arm. Bobby and I stood and I approached Dean looking over the print.

"What in the hell?" Bobby said.

"It was like a demon just yanked me out. Or rode me out."

"But why?"

"To hold up their end of the bargain."

"You think Sam made a deal?" Bobby asked and I looked down. How had Sam gotten them to trade?

"It's what I would have done," Dean answered. "I need to borrow the phone."

Dean called the phone company Sam used and got them to turn Sam's GPS on and then Dean got on the computer to track him.

"Sam's in Pontiac, Illinois," Dean said.

"Right near where you were planted," Bobby realized.

"Right where I popped up. Hell of a coincidence, don't you think?"

"I'll get the car ready." Bobby left the house and I stood from the couch.

"Robin, what is it?" Dean asked.

"What?"

"You've been quiet. And you seem uncomfortable."

"Dean, you've been dead for four months. Like Bobby said, these past few months haven't been easy." Dean stood and walked over to me.

"What'd you do? Stay here and help Bobby with hunts? Or, I mean, did you keep hunting?"

"I kept hunting," I started. "But I wasn't here. Actually I just got back here last night after you called me. I was in class."

"Class?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"I moved to Alabama. Went to college down there. But I kept hunting too."

"You went to college? Sounds like life without me wasn't so bad."

"Dean, don't start," I snapped.

"What? You meet you a nice fraternity guy too?"

"I was miserable, Dean. I had one friend and she couldn't ever possibly fill the void you left. Or Sam. I had Bobby and that was it! So, if you want to be pissed that I wasn't crying over your grave everyday go ahead. But, I might as well have been."

"I'm sorry," Dean said softly. "You're right, I don't even know why it bothers me."

"We just need to find, Sam," I said and turned to leave but Dean stopped me.

"Hey, I just returned from a tour in Hell and I don't get a welcome home kiss?" he smirked. I gave him one back.

"We need to find Sam. Then we'll talk." I walked off going to pack my stuff and left Dean standing rejected downstairs.

We took Bobby's car to Illinois and I climbed in the backseat with Dean in front with Bobby. We had been driving for a few hours when my phone started ringing. I looked to see it was Hannah. I ignored it and she called back.

"You need to get that?" Dean asked frustrated by my ringing phone. I silenced it and ignored the call. Bobby was looking at me through the rearview.

"I'll deal with it later," I said.

Sam was in a dingy motel in Pontiac. We walked down the hallway to the room 207 and Dean knocked on the door. A brunette woman answered the door in a tank top and underwear. We all looked back confused.

"So where is it?" she asked.

"Where's what?" Dean asked.

"The pizza.. that takes a friggin army to deliver?"

"I think we got the wrong room."

"Hey, is…" a voice said and Sam stepped into our view. He stopped and looked straight at Dean with wide eyes. His eyes flicked between the three of us and he swallowed.

"Heya, Sammy," Dean said quietly. Sam didn't reply and his breathing increased.

Dean stepped into the room towards his brother. Suddenly, Sam pulled a knife out and lunged at his brother. Bobby and I raced forward to pull the two apart who were now grappling against the wall for control of the knife. Bobby pulled Sam back and I stood between them holding my hand out towards Sam.

"Who are you?" Sam yelled.

"Like you didn't do this?" Dean spat back.

"Do what?"

"It's him," Bobby spoke to Sam. "It's him. I've been through this already. It's really him."

Sam's eyes shot to me and I nodded. He slowly relaxed and looked up at Dean.

"What…"

"I know. I look fantastic, huh?" Dean said walking towards him.

Bobby let Sam go and Sam was on the verge of tears as he looked back at Dean. He stepped forward and pulled his brother into a tight embrace and I looked on with Bobby happy we were finally all together again. Sam pulled back and looked at Dean and nodded.

"So are you two like… together?" the unknown woman asked.

"What?" Sam said turning to her like he just remembered she was there. "No. No. He's my brother."

"Uh… got it. I … I guess. Look, I should probably go," she said gesturing to the door.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Sorry," Sam said.

She walked off to get dressed and collect her things and Sam started pulling on clothes since he was only wearing jeans and an under shirt having just gotten out of the shower.

I stood against the mini bar next to Dean while we waited. Bobby sat at the table near us. Sam led the woman to the door and let her out.

"So, call me," she said turning back to Sam.

"Yeah. Yeah, sure thing, Kathy."

"Kristy," she replied disappointed to Sam.

"Right," he said quickly. Sam shut the door and turned to us. He sat on the edge of the bed and started pulling his boots on.

"So tell me, what'd it cost?" Dean asked getting to business.

"The girl? I don't pay, Dean," Sam said with a smile. I narrowed my eyes wondering how messed up my best friend truly was now.

"That's not funny, Sam. To bring me back. What'd it cost? Was it your soul, or was it something worse?"

"You think I made a deal?"

"That's exactly what we think," Bobby interjected.

"Well, I didn't."

"Don't lie to me," Dean spoke.

"I'm not lying."

"So what now," Dean said pushing off the counter and stepping towards Sam. "I'm off the hook and you're on, is that it? You're some demon's bitch-boy? I didn't want to be saved like this."

"Look, Dean," Sam said standing. "I wish I had done it, all right?" Dean grabbed Sam by the front of his shirt.

"There's no other way that this could have gone down. Now tell the truth!"

"Dean!" I said stepping forward. Sam knocked Dean's arms away.

"I tried everything. That's the truth. I tried opening the Devil's Gate. Hell, I tried to bargain, Dean, but no demon would deal, all right?" Dean didn't look like he believed Sam for a second.

"He's telling the truth, Dean," I said. Dean looked over at me and then back to Sam ignoring me. "The crossroad demon's weren't making deals to bring you back." Dean paused and looked over at me. Bobby did too. Sam already knew so he didn't act surprised.

"You were rotting in Hell for months," Sam said bringing Dean's attention back to him. "For months, and I couldn't stop it. So I'm sorry it wasn't me, all right? Dean, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Sammy," Dean said quieter. "You don't have to apologize, I believe you."

"Don't get me wrong," Bobby started. "I'm glad hat Sam's soul remains intact, but it does raise a sticky question."

"If he didn't pull me out, then what did?"

"So what were you doing around here if you weren't digging me out of my grave?" Dean asked after we'd all calmed and sat down for a beer.

"Well, once I figured out I couldn't save you, I started hunting down Lilith, trying to get some payback."

"All by yourself?" Bobby asked. "Who do you think you are, your old man?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm sorry, Bobby. I should have called. I was pretty messed up." Dean walked over next to Sam and picked up a pink bra.

"Oh yeah. I really feel your pain."

"Anyways, uh," Sam ignored his brother. "I was checking these demons out of Tennessee, and out of nowhere they took a hard left, booked up here."

"When?" Dean asked.

"Yesterday morning."

"When I busted out."

"You think these demons are here cause of you?" Bobby asked.

"But why?" Sam wondered.

"Well, I don't know. Some badass demon drags me out and now this? It's gotta be connected somehow."

"How you feelin', anyway?" Bobby asked and I looked to Dean for his answer.

"I'm a little hungry."

"No, I mean, do you feel like yourself? Anything strange or different?"

"Or demonic? Bobby, how many times do I have to prove I'm me?"

"Yeah. Well, listen. No demon's letting you loose out of the goodness of their hearts. They've gotta have something nasty planned."

"Well, I feel fine."

"Okay, look," Sam said. "We don't know what they're planning. We got a pile of questions and no shovel. We need help."

"I know a psychic," Bobby said. "A few hours from here. Something this big, maybe she's heard the other side talking."

"Hell yeah," Dean agreed. "Worth a shot."

"I'll be right back." Bobby left and we stood.

"Hey, wait," Sam said stopping his brother. "You probably want this back." Sam reached into his collar and pulled out the amulet Dean always wore around his neck. He handed it to Dean.

"Thanks," Dean spoke.

"Yeah, don't mention it." Dean slipped the necklace around his neck. "Hey Dean, what was it like?"

"What, Hell? I don't know, I, I must have blacked it out. I don't remember a damn thing," Dean answered his brother. I didn't believe a word of it though.

"Well, thank God for that," Sam said.

"Yeah."

We headed to the psychic Bobby knew about four hours away. Bobby took his car but I rode with the boys in the Impala. I slid into the backseat and sunk into it blissfully.

Dean was three times as gleeful as me about returning to the car. He sat in the front seat and stared at the dash like it was his one true love. I smiled at him happy to see the two reunited. Dean's eyes landed on the iPod jack on the dash and his face fell.

"What the hell is that?" he asked Samy.

"That's an iPod jack," Sam answered.

"You were supposed to take care of her, not douche her up."

"Dean, I thought it was my car."

Dean sneered and turned the key. When he did music from the iPod started to play and Dean paused staring at it horrified.

"Really?" he asked his brother. Sam shrugged and Dean ripped the iPod out and threw it in the back with me.

An hour into the drive I was laying across the backseat with Dean's jacket pulled over me. I was the happiest I'd been in months. I breathed in the smell of the leather seat and jacket and let out a content sigh.

"You okay back there, Robin?" Dean asked teasing.

"I'm great," I replied.

"There's still one thing that's bothering me," Dean said to Sam.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, the night that I bit it. Or…got bit. How'd you make it out? I though Lilith was going to kill you both."

"Sam scared her off," I said sitting up.

"What?"

"She tried to kill me," Sam explained. "She couldn't."

"What do you mean, she couldn't?"

"She fired this, like, burning light at me, and… didn't leave a scratch. Like I was immune or something."

"Immune?"

"Yeah. I don't know who was more surprised, her or me. She left pretty fast after that."

"Huh. What about Ruby, where is she?"

"Dead. For now."

"So you've been using your, uh, freaky ESP stuff?"

"No."

"You sure about that? Well, I mean, now that you've got… immunity, whatever the hell that is… just wondering what other kind of weirdo crap you've got going on."

"Nothing, Dean. Look, you didn't want me to go down that road, so I didn't go down that road. It was practically your dying wish."

"Yeah, well, let's keep it that way."

"Bobby!" the psychic, Pamela, said opening the door to her house. She lifted Bobby off the ground in a hug and me and the boys shared a look.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," Bobby told her.

"So, these the boys?" Pamela said looking to Sam and Dean. I looked between the boys and Pamela waiting to be acknowledged.

"Sam, Dean, Red," Bobby said going down the line but I still didn't get a glance. "This is Pamela Barnes, best damn psychic in the state."

"Hey," Dean said flirting.

"Hi," Sam said.

"Great to meet you," I droned.

"Mmm-mmm-mmm. Dean Winchester. Out of the fire and back in the frying pan, huh? Makes you a rare individual," she said looking Dean up and down. My eyebrows furrowed and I shared a look with Bobby.

"If you say so."

"Come on in," she said stepping aside to let us into her home. We entered the house and she shut the door behind us.

"So, you hear anything?" Bobby asked.

"Well, Ouija'd my way through a dozen spirits. No one seems to know who broke your boy out, or why."

"So what's next?"

"A seance, I think. See if we can see who did the deed."

"You're not gonna… summon the damn thing here."

"No. I just want to get a sneak peek at it. Like a crystal ball without the crystal."

Pamela let us into a room with a table in the middle and started setting things up. She threw a cloth over the table and Bobby started closing the curtains.

"Ariel, dear, will you get some candles from the kitchen?" Pamela asked and I almost didn't respond since she had used my middle name. I looked at her curiously. "They're in the first cabinet."

I nodded and turned towards the kitchen. I shared a look with Sam who shrugged and I walked out. I opened up the cabinet and pulled out a basket of candles. I returned to see Pamela walk by Sam and Dean seductively.

"You're invited too, grumpy," she said to Sam and winked at Dean. She walked towards me.

"You are not invited," Dean hissed pointing to his brother.

I handed over the basket of candles and she smiled at me.

"Don't worry, chick. I don't stand a chance with you around."

We sat around the table with the candles lit in the middle being the only light.

"Right. Take each other's hands," Pamela said. I took Sam's hand in my right and Dean's in my left. "And I need to touch something our mystery monster touched." I saw Pamela's hand move under the table and Dean jump.

"Whoa," Dean said. "Well, he didn't touch me there." My grip tightened on Dean's hand and his thumb rubbed across mine absently.

"My mistake," Pamela said smiling at me. Dean released my hand so he could shed his jacket and roll his sleeve up revealing the handprint on his arm. He took my hand back and Pamela laid her hand on top of the handprint.

"Okay," Pamela said and we closed our eyes. "I invoke, conjure and command you, appear unto me before this circle," Pamela repeated. I could hear the TV turn on and fill with static. "Castiel?" Pamela said suddenly. "No. Sorry, Castiel, I don't scare easy."

"Castiel?" Dean asked.

"It's name, It's whispering to me, warning me to turn back. I conjure and command you, show me your face," she repeated and the table started to shake and the static became louder. Dean's grip tightened on my hand and I opened my eyes too look at the shaking table. I looked up and saw Bobby and the boys looking around too while Pamela continued.

"Maybe we should stop," Bobby said.

"I almost got it," Pamela argued and continued. The flames on the candles in the middle of the table shot up and Pamela let out a scream. I looked across the table at her and saw her eyes burst into white flames. Blood ran down her face as she screamed in agony.

Her screaming stopped and her eyes darkened again. The flames on the candles died down and the shaking and static stopped. Pamela fell from her chair and Bobby caught her.

"Call 911!" he said to us. Sam rushed from the room to call an ambulance and Dean and I ran over to Pamela and Bobby. Her eyelids were heavily burned. She opened them and I gasped stepping back. Her eyes were gone.

"I can't see!" she sobbed. " I can't see. Oh god!"

Bobby and I were at the hospital with Pamela. She was stabilized and taken out of the ICU but was now blind. I called the boys and gave them an update. The boys were headed back to Poniac and Bobby and I left Pamela to meet them.

We walked down the hall of the motel and paused when we heard the crashing. We exchanged a glance before running towards Sam and Dean's room where the noise was coming from.

I slammed into the door knocking it open and saw that all the glass, windows, mirrors, and even the shot glasses had busted. A high pitched noise was ringing in the air. Dean lay on the ground in the broken glass covering his ears which were bleeding.

"Dean!" I yelled and ran in. Bobby and I hoisted him up and helped him out of the room. As soon as we were by the car and away from the ringing noise we stopped. "Dean?"

"What?" he asked loudly. I feared for a second he may be deaf. "I can't hear you over the ringing." I nodded and pulled a rag from the car and started wiping the blood away.

"Where's Sam?" Bobby asked loudly.

"I don't know," Dean replied.

"Well, let's go find him," Bobby said getting in the car. I climbed in the back and Dean took the rag from me to clean the remaining blood from his face. Bobby pulled out of the parking lot. "How you doing, kid?"

"Aside from the church bells ringing in my head, peachy," Dean replied in a normal tone which meant he could probably hear again. Dean pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Sam's number.

"What are you doing?…. In my car?…. Well, uh, Bobby and Red are back. We're going to grab a beer." Bobby and I both looked at Dean curious but Dean held up a finger. "Done catch you later." Dean hung up.

"Why the hell didn't you tell him?"

"Because he just tried to stop us."

"From what?"

"Summoning this thing."

"What?" I asked.

"It's time we faced it head-on."

"You can't be serious!" Bobby said.

"As a heart attack. It's high noon, baby."

"Well, we don't know what it is. It could be a demon, it could be anything."

"That's why we've got to be ready for anything," Dean said and pulled out Ruby's knife. "We've got the big-time magic knife, you've got an arsenal in the trunk…"

"This is a bad idea."

"Yeah, I couldn't agree more, but what other choice do we have?"

"We could choose life."

"Bobby, whatever this is, whatever if wants, it's after me. That much we know, right? I've got no place to hide. I can either get caught with my pants down again, or we can make our stand."

"Dean, we could use Sam on this."

"Nah, he's better off where he is."

Bobby drove us out to an empty old barn. He handed me a book and a can of spray paint and I started helping him paint the symbols onto the walls and floor. Dean was standing at a table setting up our weapons.

"That's a hell of an art project you've got going there," Dean said once we were finished. The images filled every space we could reach.

"Traps and talismans from every faith on the globe. How you doing?" Bobby asked and I threw my spray can to the side and joined them.

"Stakes, iron, silver, salt, knife. I mean, we're pretty much set to catch and kill anything I've ever heard of."

"Except we've never heard of this," I said.

"This is still a bad idea," Bobby agreed.

"Yeah, Bobby, I heard you the first ten times. What do you say we ring the dinner bell?"

Bobby walked off to another table with the proper ingredients for the summoning spell and started the ritual. I stood near Dean with my shotgun. Bobby finished and nothing happened. We stood around ready for something to show up.

"It may take a while," Bobby finally said. I sighed and jumped up on the table to take a seat. Dean joined me and Bobby sat on the one across from us. After a while Bobby started to whistle.

"You sure you did the ritual right?" Dean asked. Bobby stared back at him blankly. "Sorry. Touchy, touchy." Dean kicked his boot against mine and we all jerked when the roof rattled. I grabbed my shotgun and we all stood facing the door with our guns. "Wishful thinking, but maybe it's just the wind."

The lights above us busted and I flinched as the sparks rained down on us. The doors across from us broke open and a man in a trench coat calmly walked in. The lights continued to burst as he walked towards us and we held our guns up towards him. Dean fired a shot at him hitting him in the chest but he was unfazed and continued to advance towards us. Bobby and I each fired a shot but it did nothing to slow the creature.

We shared a look and Dean grabbed the knife as the man came to stand in front of us.

"Who are you?" Dean asked.

"I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition," the man said smoothly.

"Yeah. Thanks for that," Dean said and plunged Ruby's knife into the mans chest. He looked down calmly and pulled it out and dropped it to the floor. Bobby raised an iron bar ready to smash him in the head with it. But, the man reached up and caught it as Bobby swung it without looking. He turned and touched Bobby's forehead dropping him to the ground instantly.

"Bobby!" I yelled running towards him. The man grabbed me and I saw his fingers come towards my forehead and I was out.


	26. Are You There God? It's Me, Dean

We were back at Bobby's. Bobby and I woke up in the barn shortly after the man, Castiel had disappeared. Dean said he claimed to be an angel and he was indeed the one who had pulled him from hell. Now we were researching to see if any of this was possible.

I had called Hannah and told her it was unlikely I would return. I told her the short version on how Dean was back and there was a reunion and everyone was peachy. I told James that Sam needed me and I had to return to South Dakota.

I sat in the library at the house with Bobby looking through books. Sam and Dean were in the kitchen arguing on what this Castiel really was.

"Look, all I know is I was not groped by an angel," Dean said.

"Okay, look, Dean. Why do you think this Castiel would lie to you about it?"

"Maybe he's some kind of demon. Demons lie."

I tuned the boys out as I came across something in the book I was reading. I stood and sat it in front of Bobby showing him. Bobby read over it and nodded at me. We had a few different sources that all made the angel theory seem true.

"I'm not gonna believe that this this is a freaking Angel of the Lord because it says so!" Dean snapped at his brother.

"You two chuckleheads want to keep arguing religion, or do you want to come take a look at this?" Bobby said interrupting them. Sam and Dean walked over to us. "I got stacks of lore. Biblical, pre Biblical. Some of it's in damn cuneiform. It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the pit."

"What else?" Dean asked.

"What else, what?"

"What else could do it?"

"Airlift your ass out of the hot box? As far as I can tell, nothing."

"Dean, this is good news," Sam argued.

"How?"

"Because for once, this isn't just another round of demon crap. I mean, maybe you were saved by one of the good guys, you know?"

"Okay. Say it's true. Say there are angels. Then what? There's a God?"

"At this point, Vegas money's on yeah," Bobby said.

"I don't know, guys."

"Okay, look," Sam started. "I know you're not all choirboy about this stuff, but this is becoming less and less about faith and more and more about proof."

"Proof?"

"Yes."

"Proof that there's a God out there that actually gives a crap about me personally? I'm sorry, but I'm not buying it."

"Why not?"

"Because why me? If there is a God out there, why would he give a crap about me?"

"Dean-"

"I mean, I've saved some people, okay? I figured that made up for the stealing and ditching chicks. But why do I deserve to get saved? I'm just a regular guy."

I guess what Dean said was true. If God was dragging people out of hell and bringing them back to life why had he chosen Dean? Why not John or Sam when he had died? I figured there was a bigger picture here we weren't seeing yet.

"Apparently," Sam spoke, "you're a regular guy that's important to the man upstairs."

We started researching angels deeper. If this Castiel was an angel we needed to know everything. I wasn't quite convinced we could trust him or that his intentions towards us were all good.

"Somethin ain't right," Bobby mumbled to himself staring at his phone.

"What is it Bobby?" I asked looking up from my book.

"Olivia Lowry hasn't answered any of my calls. Ain't like her to do that."

"You think she's okay?"

"I don't know."

"Where is she? Is she far?"

"Nah."

"Well, let's just go check on her."

"Yeah. Bobby, if you're worried we can drive over," Dean agreed.

"Alright. We'll leave when Sam gets back," Bobby nodded.

"Let's pack the car," I said closing my book and standing.

I threw a duffle in the trunk of Bobby's car and heard the Impala pull up. Bobby met Sam as he pulled up to us. He leaned down to tell Sam the plan and Dean handed me my bag.

"You riding with me and Sam?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," I answered and followed him to the Impala. Sam scooted over and Dean took the drivers seat and we followed Bobby to Olivia Lowry's house.

We arrived at Olivia's house and found her dead in her living room. Her insides were torn out through her chest and she had salt lines surrounding her like she'd been running from something.

Bobby was upset over the loss and none of the other hunters in the area were answering their phones. We split up to check on them. Sam and Dean took the Impala and I went with Bobby. All we found were bodies.

Bobby called the boys and they'd found similar cases that we had. Bobby sent them to the house and we headed that way ourselves.

We got back to Bobby's and I trudged up the stairs to take a shower while Bobby started researching the possibilities. I was in my room getting dressed when I felt the temperature drop. I pulled on my shirt and grabbed my shotgun. The lights flickered and I started out of the room to find Bobby.

I froze in the doorway when I saw who was standing in the hallway staring back at me.

Braxton. The boy who was in foster care with me. He stood in front of me in the same clothes he was wearing that day. Except they weren't torn or bloodied like they should have been. He should have been dead.

"Braxton?" I asked with wide eyes. "How?"

"Well, I'm not here thanks to any of your help," he hissed out.

"I'm sorry, Braxton," I said stepping down the hallway. "I tried. I tried to kill him before you got hurt."

"But I did get hurt. I died. And you knew he was dangerous. You knew how to kill him but you didn't. You waiting because you were too afraid to kill our foster dad."

"I was a kid."

"_I_ WAS A KID! AND YOU LET ME DIE!" he yelled before rushing towards me.

Dean's POV

"Damn it, Bobby! Pick up!" I snapped the phone shut when he didn't answer.

I'd already tried calling Robin over and over and neither of them were answering. My foot pressed harder against the gas pedal and I looked over at Sam.

"How you feeling, huh? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"None. I'll be fine, Dean."

"Henriksen?" I asked again.

"Yep."

"Why? What did he want?"

"Revenge, cause we got him killed."

"Sam," I said stopping him before he could start to feel bad about it.

"Well, we did, Dean."

"All right. Stop right there. Whatever the hell is going on, it's happening to us now, okay? I can't get ahold of Bobby or Red, so if you're not thinking answers, don't think at all."

I jumped out of the Impala when we got to Bobby's and rushed towards the house. The car was here so at least they made it this far. Sam followed me into the house and we held our shotguns out read to shoot.

"Robin? Bobby?" I called. No answer. We entered the living room and saw the iron fireplace poker on the ground like it had been used. I glanced at Sam then made my way to the stairs. "I'll go. You check outside."

Sam nodded and I made my way up the steps. Robin's door was open and there were holes in the wall across from it where it'd been shot with salt rounds.

"Robin?" I called quietly. I peeked in her room but it was empty. "Red?"

I turned when I heard shuffling coming from the bathroom. I slowly crept towards it with my gun raised and jerked the door open and ducked just before Robin pulled the trigger on her shotgun. The salt hit the wall behind me and I turned back to her wide eyed. She was sitting against the tub with her shotgun held close to her and terrified.

"Robin?"

"Dean!" she said dropping the shotgun and pulling me across the salt line before throwing her arms around me. "Dean, he's here."

"Who? Red, who is it?"

"Braxton," she shook.

"Braxton? Robin, he's one of the spirits. We think they're coming back for revenge. But, it wasn't your fault he died."

"He thinks so."

"Come on. We gotta find Bobby. Do you know where he is?"

"I haven't seen him."

"I'll check up here. You go down and find Sam. He's in yard."

"Dean, did you see anyone?" she asked.

"Sam saw Henriksen." She nodded and her face changed from scared to brave again.

"Be careful," she said and reached up on her toes to kiss me before stepping past me and heading down the stairs.

Red's POV

I ran down the stairs and turned the corners with my gun held level at my shoulder. There was no sign of Bobby downstairs. I headed to the door but stopped when I heard a click behind me. I jerked around and saw Braxton standing in the doorway with a toy gun aimed at me. The toy gun I had gotten him for his birthday one year. Our foster parents had been horrified and taken it away before he ever got to play with it.

"Braxton, just tell me what's causing you to act like this. This isn't you."

"It is now. After someone I trusted let me die. I looked up to you. But, you were always leaving me for them! For Sam and Dean!" He started walking towards me.

"Hey! Wait up a second. There's something wrong here. If you can just tell me what it is I can fix it I promise!"

"Can you go back to the past? Stop me from dying?"

"You know I would if I could."

"You would for him! You tried to sell your soul to bring him back! But what did you ever do for me? You just let it happen!"

Braxton rushed towards me again and I shot at him causing him to disappear. I backed into a wall in the kitchen and waited. He appeared again beside me and pushed me with strength that was superhuman. I was flung into the counter and got a cut against the cheek and my eyes swam trying to refocus.

"Braxton, just wait," I tried but he kicked me into the cabinets.

"All of that could have been avoided if you would have just let us in on your little secret you know? Let us know the dangers that were really out there. But, instead we all died!"

Braxton charged towards me again but a shot rang out and he disappeared as the salt shot through him. I looked up to see Sam and Bobby come through the back door. Sam rushed over and helped me up.

"You okay?" he asked grabbing my chin and looking over my cut cheek.

"I'm great. You two?"

"Let's just figure out what the hell's going on," Bobby said walking into the library.

Dean stomped down the stairs and joined us. His eyes shot to the blood running down my face but when his eyes met mine he nodded knowing I was fine.

"Who'd you see?" Sam asked Dean.

"Meg."

"Meg?"

"The girl she possessed," Dean said and sat to reload his shotgun.

"So, they're all people we know?"

"Not just know. People we couldn't save. Hey, I saw something on Meg. Did she have a tattoo when she was alive?"

"I don't think so," Sam answered.

"It was like a mark on her hand. Almost like a brand."

"I saw a mark, too, on Henriksen."

"What did it look like?" Bobby asked.

"Uh, paper?" Sam asked and I handed him a notebook and pencil. "Thanks." Sam drew down what he saw then held it up for Dean to see.

"That's it," Dean agreed. Sam handed the notebook to Bobby.

"I may have seen this before," Bobby said turning to grab a few books off a shelf. We all paused when we heard creaking. "We got to move." Bobby handed Sam the books and turned for more. "Follow me."

"Okay, where are we going?" Sam asked confused.

"Some place safe, you idjit," Bobby answered. Dean looked to me with a raised eyebrow but I just shrugged equally confused.

We grabbed our weapons and followed Bobby down into the basement. He led us to a heavy iron door that hadn't always been there. He swung it open and Sam, Dean, and I looked between each other before walking in.

Bobby flicked the lights on to reveal a tall round room with a devils trap on the floor and the ceiling. The entirety of it seemed to be made of iron. There was a rack of weapons along with a desk and a cot.

Once we were all in Bobby shut the heavy door behind us. We all stood looking around at the room. I had lived in this house for a few years and I knew this wasn't always here.

"Bobby, is this-" Sam started touching the wall.

"Solid iron," Bobby answered. "Completely coated in salt. One hundred percent ghost proof."

"You built a panic room?"

"I had a weekend off?"

"While I was in Alabama?" I figured out and Bobby nodded. Poor old man was bored without our company.

"Bobby," Dean said turning from the weapons rack.

"What?"

"You're awesome," Dean smiled.

The boys sat making more salt round shells and Bobby was at the desk researching the mark. I was laid back on the cot watching the fan above us spin around and around.

"Found it," Bobby said bringing my attention back to them and I sat up.

"What?" Sam asked.

"The symbol you saw. The brand on the ghosts."

"Yeah?"

"Mark of the Witness."

"Witness? Witness to what?"

"The unnatural. None of them died what you'd call ordinary deaths. See, these ghosts- they were forced to rise. They woke up in agony. They were like rabid dogs. It ain't their fault. Someone rose them… on purpose."

"Who?" I asked.

"Do I look like I know?" Bobby shrugged and I rolled my eyes when he turned back to the book. "But whoever it was used a spell so powerful it left a mark, a brand on their souls. Whoever did this had big plans. It's called "the rising of the witnesses." It figures into an ancient prophecy."

"Wait, wait," Dean spoke standing to look at the book with Bobby. Sam and I joined them. "What book is that prophecy from?"

"Well, the widely distributed version's just for tourists, you know. But long story short- Revelations. This is a sign, boys."

"A sign of what?" both Sam and Dean asked.

"The apocalypse," Bobby answered.

"Apocalypse?" Dean asked.

"Yep."

"The apocalypse, apocalypse? The four horsemen, pestilence, $5 a gallon gas apocalypse?"

"That's the one. The rise of the witnesses is a mile marker."

"Okay," Sam said. "So, what do we do now?"

"Road trip. Grand Canyon," Dean said to Bobby then turned to me. "Star Trek Experience." Last he turned to Sam. "Bunny Ranch."

"First things first. How about we survive our friends out there?" Bobby said.

"Great. Any ideas aside from staying in this room until Judgement Day?" Dean asked walking back to his seat.

"It's a spell," Bobby said tapping a page from the book. "To send the witnesses back to rest. Should work."

"Should?" Sam asked with a laugh. "Great."

"If I translate it correctly. I think I got everything we need here at the house."

"Any chance you got everything we need here in this room?" Dean asked hopeful.

"So, you thought our luck was gonna start now all of the sudden?" Bobby said. "Spell's got to be cast over an open fire."

"The library," I said.

"Bingo."

"That's just not as appealing as a, uh, ghost-proof panic room, you know?" Dean said pinching the bridge of his nose.

We loaded our guns and filled our pockets with extra shells.

"Cover each other," Bobby said heading to the door. "And aim careful. Don't run out of ammo until I'm done, or they'll shred you. Ready?"

We nodded and Bobby opened up the door. The basement was empty. Sam stepped through first and I followed him with Dean and Bobby taking up the rear. We turned the corner to go up the steps and a figure sat at the top. Dean raised his gun to shoot but lowered it when the figure raised his head.

"Hey, Dean," he said. I didn't recognize him. "You remember me?"

"Ronald," Dean answered with a smile. "With the laser eyes? I wish I could say it's good to see you."

"I am dead because of you," Ronald said standing. "You were supposed to help me!"

Bobby raised his gun and shot Ronald causing him to disappear. Dean looked over at Bobby surprised.

"If you're gonna shoot, shoot. Don't talk," Bobby answered.

We ran up the stairs and to the library. Dean went to the fireplace to get it lit while Bobby set up the book and the ingredients he would need for the spell. I took a bag of salt and started pouring a circle around us from one side and Sam started on the other. We met in the middle and turned to Bobby to see what he needed.

"Upstairs, linen closet- red hex box. It'll be heavy," Bobby said.

"Got it," Sam said and ran off up the stairs.

"What else?" I asked.

"Get rid of them," he said pointing behind me. I turned and saw two little girls standing behind me. I raised my gun and shot them and they disappeared. "Got it, Dean?" Bobby asked about the fire.

"Got it," Dean answered standing.

"Good. Kitchen. Cutlery drawer. It's got a false bottom. Hemlock, opium, wormwood."

Dean started towards the kitchen but paused.

"Opium?"

"Go! Robin, draw this for me," Bobby said handing me a piece of chalk.

I took it and started sketching the image from the book down onto the table top. The two little girls reappeared.

"Bobby," one spoke. "You walked right by us while that monster ate us all up."

"You could have saved us," the other said.

"Bobby," I said snapping him out of the trance he was in. He grabbed his gun and shot through them. "Done." I stepped back from the desk and let him continue. The doors between the library and the kitchen slammed shut.

"Dean?" Bobby asked.

"I'm all right, Bobby! Keep working!" Dean yelled back.

Bobby went back to pulling things from drawers and I stood with my gun ready. Braxton danced around outside the salt line and I shot at him but he would disappear before I could hit him.

"What's the matter?" Braxton sang. I shot. "Can't hit me?" Shoot. Reload. "Too slow?" Shoot. "I know it's not because you don't want to." Shoot. Reload. "After all." Shoot. "You love to watch me die." I twirled around to shoot him behind me but a shot fired before I could pull the trigger and hit Braxton. I turned to Bobby who sat his shotgun back down.

"Thanks," I said and he nodded. I heard a shot fire in the kitchen and Sam and Dean opened the doors back up and joined us. They sat the things Bobby had asked for on his desk and we all reloaded while Bobby started mixing the ingredients.

Everything turned quiet for a moment and Bobby finished mixing in the bowl. He started to recite the spell and the window flung open causing a gust of wind to blow through the room. The pages of Bobby's book blew wildly and the salt line beneath our feet broke.

Bobby continued the spell and the spirits all came towards us at once. The room was filled with shots fired from the three shotguns. Shells dropped at my feet and I reloaded and shot again. I was nearing the end of the shells I'd stuffed into my pockets. I loaded the last two and shot them at Braxton and Meg.

"Shells," I called. Dean slid a bag across the floor to me and I bent to reload while he covered me.

Eventually Dean lost his gun and he was using the poker to fend off the ghost. A dresser was pushed against Sam pinning him to the wall leaving only Dean and me to protect Bobby.

Bobby stopped speaking and let out a groan and I turned to see Meg with a hand plunged into his back twisting at his insides.

"Bobby!" I yelled and raised my gun to shoot at Meg but my gun clicked empty.

"Dean!" Bobby called. "Fireplace." Bobby dropped the bowl in his hands and Dean dove to catch it. He threw it into the fireplace and blue flames shot up. A white light flooded the room and the ghost disappeared. Bobby fell to the ground in pain.

"Bobby!" I called kneeling next to him.

Sam pushed the dresser away and he and Dean helped Bobby to his feet. Bobby nodded at us catching his breath.

"Bobby, I hate to tell you," I said looking around. "But your house is a mess."

"Yeah. And you idjits are cleaning it up," he huffed.

I was sitting in my bed against the headboard with my legs out in front of me on the phone. I couldn't ignore the phone calls forever and finally answered one. The door to my room cracked open and Dean peeked in. His hair was still wet from a shower and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Hey, James, I gotta let you go. I'll talk to you soon though. I promise," I said smiling at Dean.

"Sure thing. You be careful though. And I'm serious about that visit," James said on the other end.

"I'll be down soon. Don't worry. See ya."

"See ya, Robin." I hung the phone up and Dean stood in the door looking at me but his face was serious.

"James?" he asked nodding. "Right."

"What?" I asked my turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Guess I couldn't expect you to not move on."

"Dean," I said with a laugh. His eyebrows furrowed. "Wow, this is going to be just like Star Wars."

"What?"

"It's not like that at all. He's my brother," I said quoting Princess Leia.

"Your brother?" Dean asked straightening now fully confused.

"Yeah." I gestured to the spot next to me and Dean walked over and sat on the bed.

"I didn't just choose Alabama out of a hat. Bobby had apparently found my real mom when I turned eighteen. You know in case I wanted to meet her. I had all her information. Exactly where to find her. So, I went. You were dead, Sam was missing. I thought, 'why not?"

"So, you met your mother?" Dean said trying to comprehend what I was saying.

"Yeah. She's a real bitch. Only spoke to her once. But I did meet James. My half brother."

"You've got family then," Dean said looking down at his hands. I grabbed them and brought his gaze back up to mine.

"I've always had family." Dean nodded and smiled at me.

"Are you okay? I know that must've been hard. Seeing Braxton."

"Yeah. I'm fine. You?"

"I'm doing great now," he said and leaned in to meet my lips.

I woke up before Dean the next morning and started pulling my clothes on. Bobby and Sam would be up soon and we'd have to get started on the whole apocalypse thing. Dean stirred in the bed and I tossed his shirt at him. He grabbed it and sat up looking worried.

"Dean? You okay?" I asked. He took a moment before looking up at me.

"You believe in God?"

"I dunno. I guess if angels and the apocalypse are real then God could be too."

"What about the devil?"

"Dean, what's wrong?"

"Weird dream."


End file.
